英语新闻阅读：亚太国家防长就海上安全召开会议

英语自学网

　　Senior military leaders from 27 Asia-Pacific countries are meeting this
week in Hawaii for talks dealing with issues raised by a growing dispute in the
South China Sea.The U.S. Defense Department is hosting the annual conference,
which began Monday and runs through Thursday. It said Australia, Japan and South
Korea are among the 27 nations attending.The Pentagon said the theme of this
year's conference is "multilateral approaches to maritime security in the
Asia-Pacific." Officials routinely refer to the dispute over competing claims in
the South China Sea as a maritime security issue.