(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on China to stop "land reclamation" projects in South China Sea and seek to settle regional disputes with diplomacy.
Kerry, in his statement at the ASEAN Summit, said Washington shares the association's member states their desire to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The United States seeks to secure key water routes and fishing locations and wishes to see regional conflicts be settled peacefully and on basis of international laws, Kerry said.
Regional nations, namely China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei are embroiled in conflicts for control of regions in the Sea, which is rich in natural resources.
Kerry reportedly raised the issue of China's territorial expansion in the region during earlier talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, held on sidelines of the conference.
The annual gathering is hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and includes countries from across Asia, the United States, Russia and elsewhere. It continues until Thursday.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.