Update | On visit to Beijing, Kerry urges easing of South China Sea tensions
China's resolve to protect territorial integrity 'unshakable', Foreign Minister Wang Yi warns
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged China to halt increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea during a meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Wang Yi amid renewed tensions in the disputed waters.
In response, Wang said at a joint press conference after their talks that China's resolve to safeguard its territorial integrity was "unshakable", but the country was interested in dialogue on the matter.
"It is all right that China and America have diverging ideas on the South China Sea issues. But we shall not have misunderstanding or misjudgment," Wang was quoted by China National Radio (CNR) as saying.
Kerry also said he would welcome the establishment of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), provided that it has high institutional standards. After their meeting, Wang denied that the AIIB was intended to squeeze the United States outside of Asia.
"We always believe that Asia should be an open and inclusive Asia," Wang told reporters after his meeting with Kerry, according to Xinhua. "The US is an important country in the Asia-Pacific region, and we welcome the positive and constructive role of the US in Asia-Pacific affairs."
The two also agreed to step up efforts towards North Korea's denuclearisation.
