China should not use bilateral talks to attempt to “divide and conquer” nations with competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said following a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to two of those states, Malaysia and Brunei. Her remarks come after a meeting last month of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ended in acrimony over the South China Sea, as host Cambodia, a close China ally, refused to sign off on language sought by the Philippines and Vietnam mentioning their individual disputes with China.—AP