US President Barack Obama on Wednesday demanded that China ends the ends the construction of artificial islands in the hotly contested South China Sea. He made this statement in Manila on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation(APEC).

According to Daily Mail, the annual APEC summit is meant to enhance trade cooperation among the 21 Pacific Rim economies, who boast of a population of almost three billion people.

Like Us on Facebook

The ongoing APEC meeting is the first of two regional summits aimed at bolstering security and trade relations. But the meeting has been affected by last week's coordinated attacks by Islamic State terrorists on Paris.

The build-up to this years' meeting in the Philippines was dominated by the territorial row over the strategically vital South China Sea.

An senior official in Beijing has said China is the main victim of the South China Sea dispute because other countries had illegally occupied its islands in the contested maritime territory.

Obama has affirmed the US' commitment to the Philippines' security and to freedom of navigation in regional waters, reported Fortune.

China is currently embroiled in a disputes with neighboring countries over the South China Sea, which is an important global shipping route.

Hours before the start of the two-day summit, Obama raised concerns over China's land reclamation project that has led to the formation of new islands close to the Philippines. Obama said that an agreement has been reached on the need for a bold move to lower tensions including pledging to stop any more reclamation as well as new constructions and militarization of disputed areas in the South China Sea.

After meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino, Obama told reporters that they discussed the effects of China's land reclamation and construction activities on regional stability.

The chairman of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, Jack Ma, joined Obama on stage along with Aisa Mijeno, whose startup called Salt sells low-cost lamps that runs on salt water, US News reported.

Obama has pledged to support the US' Southeast Asian allies boost their maritime defenses with $250 million. The US also pledged to provide the Philippines with a warship

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are all claimant countries in the South China Sea dispute and they are also APEC members.

A deal that will pave the way for Tokyo to supply Manila with used military equipment is expected tp be reached between Aquino and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo during the APEC summit.

Separately, Manila and Vietnam have signed a strategic partnership deal on Tuesday to promote naval collaboration.

TagsAsia-Pacific summit, US President Barack, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, APEC, APEC members, APEC 2015