Kerry and Chinese FM discuss tensions over islands

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Wednesday discussed rising tensions over the South China Sea, a flashpoint issue that has been stoked by Beijing's island building in the disputed waters.

Beijing has sparked alarm in the region by expanding tiny reefs and constructing military posts to reinforce its claims over the strategic waters.The United States and Southeast Asian countries have called for Beijing to halt such activities, which have dominated discussions at the regional security forum, but China has refused.

Kerry and China's foreign minister Wang Yi discussed the matter in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the gathering, hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which runs until Thursday.

But they downplayed the issue, a day after Southeast Asian warned the row was threatening peace and stability.

"I would just add I had a good meeting with the foreign minister of China and I hope very much that at this meeting over the course of today and tomorrow we will find a way to move forward effectively together, all of us," Kerry said after their talks.

Wang, meanwhile, told reporters that Kerry "welcomed China's support for peacefully resolving the South China Sea issue." Beijing claims control over nearly the entire South China Sea, a key shipping route thought to hold rich oil and gas reserves. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei -- all ASEAN members -- also have various claims, as does Taiwan, many of which overlap.