A clash in the South China Sea threatened to overshadow a meeting of Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday as the United States condemned "dangerous" Chinese actions in the contested waterway. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementThe meeting comes against the backdrop of US condemnation of Beijing's manoeuvres in the contested South China Sea, and US President Donald Trump's claims that China meddled with American election data. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route, despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementOn Monday, Philippine and Chinese sailors clashed at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in what was the first serious seaborne encounter in months. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementBut other ASEAN states have shown little appetite for softening their stance after five fruitless years of pursuing the peace plan with little progress to show for it.