U.S. offers help to SE Asia, most to Vietnam, to patrol seas

HANOI (Reuters) - The United States on Monday offered $32.5 million in assistance to Southeast Asian nations, more than half to Vietnam, to boost maritime security, which comes as tension grows with China over rival claims in the South China Sea.

On his first visit to Vietnam as secretary of state, John Kerry denied that the assistance had anything to do with China. He however called for "intensified negotiations and diplomatic initiatives" between China and Japan on resolving differences in the East China Sea.