A scheduled meeting between the foreign ministers of China and Vietnam on the sidelines of a regional gathering was canceled, Chinese Embassy officials said, amid growing tension between the two countries over the South China Sea.

Vietnam had held out for language that noted concern about island-building and criticized militarization in the South China Sea in the communique Sunday from foreign ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Vietnam has emerged as the most vocal opponent of China's claims in the waterway, through which trillions of dollars worth of cargo passes every year.