BEIJING (DPA) — Eighteen people were killed and three injured Sunday when a factory wall collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, state media reported.

The wall collapsed on to temporary housing where 40 workers had gathered, the Shandong province government said. Three people were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse, which occured after the wall became waterlogged due to a heavy rainstorm.

The eastern coastal region has been drenched by heavy rainfall in recent days.

One person was killed in Hunan province after the weather conditions triggered a landslide in the Jinwutan township, while another person was found dead in the southern Guangxi Zhuang region.

The rainfall has also disrupted traffic, rail services, power and telecommunications. Some 54,000 people in Guangdong and Hunan province have been evacuated from their homes.

By Peter Janssen (DPA)

NAYPYITAW —  South-east Asian leaders on Sunday called for "self-restraint and non-use of force" in the South China Sea, where member states and China have sparred over disputed territorial claims.

A joint declaration issued at the 10-member Association of South-east Nations summit hosted for the first time by Myanmar, called on all sides to "refrain from taking actions that would further escalate tension and to work towards an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea."

The statement followed Vietnamese charges that Chinese boats had rammed Vietnamese vessels and used water cannon against them last week in the South China Sea, and more recently erected an oil rig in disputed territorial waters.

A similar statement issued by the ASEAN foreign ministers Saturday reportedly irked Beijing, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chun Ying said China's disputes in the South China Sea should be dealt with bilaterally.

China has in the past been reluctant to sign a code of conduct in relation to the South China Sea, and has preferred to tackle maritime disputes on a bilateral basis, rather than as an ASEAN regional security issue.

"ASEAN expressing its common view on the South China Sea is not meant to be unfriendly against any country, including China," said Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

The meetings, held twice a year, end with declarations on regional issues such as economic integration and common security concerns.

Myanmar, which is hosting the ASEAN summit for the first time, has steered clear of the South China Sea issue in its official statements.

China was one of the few counties to stand by Myanmar during its pariah years, when it was under junta rule and subject to economic sanctions by Western democracies. China is currently Myanmar's leading foreign investor and trade partner.  

Myanmar President Thein Sein chose to concentrate on climate change in his opening address to the forum.

He proposed the establishment of a regional humanitarian assistance centre to boost the capacity to respond to natural disasters, and a regional campaign to reforest coastal areas with mangroves.

Central Myanmar was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, which claimed at least 138,000 lives at a time when the country was still under military rule.

"Mangrove forests not only reduce the greenhouse gases but also reduce the impact of storms and floods in low-lying coastal areas," Thein Sein said.

The retired army general is credited with pushing through several political and economic reforms since taking office in 2001.

Reforms including the release of political prisoners and allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to join mainstream politics as a member of parliament prompted Western democracies to drop economic sanctions that had been in place for decades.

Myanmar was selected to host an ASEAN summit for the first time since it became a member in 1997 of the bloc that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

KATHMANDU (DPA) — A Chinese woman was on her way up Mount Everest, in the first attempt to reach the summit after expeditions were called off following a deadly avalanche, officials said Sunday.

"We have received information that Wang Jing is making her way up toward the Base Camp with a group of three supporting Sherpa climbers," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

The 40-year-old Wang has already climbed seven peaks above 8,000 metres. The ministry said climbing guides were working to fix new ropes and ladders over the icefall since the April 18 avalanche.

Poudel said another group of 10 climbers was to head toward Everest next week from Kathmandu for an expedition.

Altogether, 334 climbers had sought permits to climb Everest this year before expeditions were called off after an avalanche struck the mountain, killing 16 Nepali climbing guides on April 18.

An American woman was also on her way up Mount Lhotse, another peak in the Everest region at 8,501 metres.

The 51-year-old Cleonice Weidlich got a head start on a helicopter to Camp 2, altitude 6,500 metres, with her equipment.

"We only allow helicopters to go up to camps in case of emergency," said Dipendra Poudel, secretary of the mountaineering department of Tourism Ministry.

"A section of the climbing ladder was broken after the avalanche at the Khumbu icefall, which might have been the reason she had to fly to Camp 2."

Climbers to both Everest and Lhotse follow the same route up to Camp 4 before branching out in different directions.

According to law, helicopters are only allowed on the slopes of the mountain for rescue operations. But Poudel said the government has been under pressure to save face this climbing season after most of the expeditions were called off last month.

Weidlich was accompanied by a climbing guide and a porter. She had successfully reached the 8,848-metre Everest summit in 2010.