US Secretary of State John Kerry
says he is concerned by the pace and scope of China's reclamation
projects in contested areas of the South China Sea.

China claims almost the whole of the
South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with Brunei, Taiwan,
the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Mr Wang said that China was determined to safeguard its sovereignty.
Mr Kerry is due to hold a series of
meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top government
officials in the Chinese capital.
US officials had been briefing in
advance that Mr Kerry was planning to deliver a stern message to China
about what is alleged to be its huge land reclamation operation around
some of the disputed reefs and islands it controls in the South China
Sea.
At the joint press conference, Mr Kerry
said that one of the strengths of the modern US China relationship was
that the two sides could speak candidly and he said he urged China,
through Mr Wang, to take actions to reduce tension.
Ahead of the meeting though, China had
already pushed back at any suggestion it should moderate its behaviour,
with state media accusing the US of "thinly veiled hypocrisy".
The conflicting claims to island chains
in the South China Sea, like the Spratlys and Paracels, go back decades.
But the US concern is that new Chinese assets, like military capable
runways, will alter the balance of power.
Speaking after his meeting with Mr Wang,
Mr Kerry said he "urged China... to take actions that will join with
everybody in helping to reduce tensions and increase the prospect of a
diplomatic solution".
Mr Wang replied that "the determination
of the Chinese side to safeguard our own sovereignty and territorial
integrity is as firm as a rock and it is unshakeable".
He described the development work in the South China Sea as something that fell "within the scope of China's sovereignty".
But he also said that China and the US
had "more common interests than differences", urging both sides "to act
in the spirit of mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving
differences".
US officials say China has reclaimed
about 810 hectares of land (2,000 acres) of land in the disputed Spratly
Islands since 2014.
Mr Kerry's visit comes as the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wraps up his visit to China.
The two sides have signed trade and economic co-operation deals worth $22bn ($14bn) in Shanghai.
On Friday, Mr Modi and China's Premier
Li Keqiang said they agreed to seek a "fair resolution" to border
disputes arising from a boundary disagreement.
Source: BBC
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