Kerry Asks China to End ‘Problematic Actions’ in South China Sea

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on China to end “problematic actions” in the South China Sea, where tensions have escalated as Beijing built artificial islands on occupied reefs.

Kerry told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur that the U.S. wants to see competing claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea “resolved peacefully,” according to a State Department official traveling with Kerry. He encouraged China and other claimants to “create space for diplomacy,” said the official, who asked not to be identified in line with departmental policy.