The US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met his Chinese counterpart General Chang Wanquan in Kuala lumpur on Tuesday and raised the issues of tensions in the South China Sea and disagreements in cyberspace, his spokesman said here.
This was the first high level meeting between the two countries after US sent its naval war ship in South China Sea within the 12 miles of the disputed island chain claimed by China. “During the discussion, the (Defense) Secretary identified two security issues still affecting US-China relations: tensions in the South China Sea and disagreements in cyberspace,” the Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said after the 40-minute meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
Carter reiterated that the US takes no position on maritime disputes in the South China Sea, which he said should be resolved peacefully.