US Defense Secretary calls for diplomatic solution in East Sea

Secretary Ashton Carter expressed concern about China's activities in the South China Sea and called for a diplomatic solution, a day after he boarded an aircraft carrier to sail through the area.

US Secretary of Defense sits on a plane after leaving the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

Speaking to service members at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Mr. Carter said the US had called on China and other countries to immediately stop land reclamation and militarization of entities in the East Sea. "Those are things that need to be resolved diplomatically," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Mr. Carter boarded the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on November 5, more than a week after the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen challenged China's sovereignty claims over islands it illegally built in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago.

Beijing has criticised Washington over the patrol, while China's navy chief has warned that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the US does not stop "provocative actions".

The US Navy plans to patrol within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter, to remind China and other countries of US rights under international law, a defense official said earlier this week.

According to VNE