By Agence France-Presse and Dow Jones The Philippines and China must settle their territorial dispute over the South China Sea through diplomacy, not “coercion or a threat of force,” United States Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday during a visit to Manila. America’s top diplomat said the US wanted China and the Philippines to engage in talks and “confidence-building measures,” saying Washington wanted to avoid “confrontation” in the South China Sea, after an international tribunal rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the waters. Kerry also urged the claimant countries to “exercise restraint and to work to reduce tension” in the South China Sea. “We hope to see a real opportunity for claimants to work together constructively, peacefully, and ultimately resolve their difference consistent with international law,” he said. “We hope to see a process that will narrow the geographic scope of the maritime dispute, set standard of behavior.” THIS [...]
