But the leaders expressed “serious concern” about the situation in the East and South China seas, where Beijing has been expanding its military presence and threatening to use force to exert its control over self-governed Taiwan. They called for a “peaceful resolution” of China’s claim to Taiwan, which has remained unresolved since the communists gained power on the Chinese mainland in 1949. The statement said there was “no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarisation activities in the region”. “A growing China that plays by international rules would be of…