Kerry to China: Halt ‘problematic actions’ in South China Sea
US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to stop “problematic actions” in the South China Sea.
Kerry, who is in Malaysia on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings, was referring to China’s construction of artificial islands in the waters of the South China Sea.
The top US diplomat expressed concern during a meeting with the Chinese official, a top US State Department official said on Wednesday.
The unnamed official said Kerry “reiterated his concern about rising tensions over disputed claims in the South China Sea and China's large-scale reclamation, construction and militarization of features there.”
"He encouraged China, along with the other claimants, to halt problematic actions in order to create space for diplomacy," the official added.
Following the meeting, Wang told reporters Beijing is seeking "peaceful discussions" over the dispute.
Wang on Monday announced that calls for a freeze in building projects in the South China Sea was "unrealistic."
The US accuses China of undergoing a massive “land reclamation” program in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, saying China’s territorial claims of the man-made islands could further militarize the region.
Washington does not recognize Beijing’s sovereignty in the areas and is sending surveillance aircraft and warships to test its territorial claims.
China, however, insists it has sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea and accuses Washington of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the region.
In a meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday, Kerry said his country wanted "to preserve peace and stability in the South China Sea."
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