US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged Southeast Asia to stand up to China and evade its firms, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a virtual meeting with foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Pompeo said the region needs to have confidence in the United States and know it can count on their support.

“Today, I say keep going. Don’t just speak up but act,” Pompeo said. “Reconsider business dealings with the very state-owned enterprises that bully ASEAN coastal states in the South China Sea. Don’t let the Chinese Communist Party walk over us and our people.”

ASEAN said it was unwilling to take sides amid disagreements over the recent surge in military activity by both powers in the South China Sea.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said: “We don’t want to get trapped by this rivalry.”

China’s State Councillor Wang Yi told ASEAN ministers on Wednesday that the United States is interfering in the South China Sea and leading to its militarization.