U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is urging China and its Asia-Pacific neighbors to "find a diplomatic solution" to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Kerry made the remarks Monday at the opening of the eighth annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing.
About $5 trillion of annual trade passes through the South China Sea, which is also believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.
Angry over U.S. surveillance flights over in the airspace over the region, Beijing is reportedly considering establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone over portions of the South China Sea, which would require all incoming aircraft to register with Chinese authorities to fly in the air route. During a stopover in Mongolia Sunday, Kerry said such an action would be "a provocative and destabilizing act."
Kerry also used his opening remarks to highlight "new milestones in cooperation" between Beijing and Washington on a number of issues, including climate change, global health emergencies and curbing nuclear proliferation, including the recent tightening of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.