JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry increased diplomatic pressure on China on Monday to resolve maritime disputes with Southeast Asia based on international legal principles, rather than through individual deals as Beijing prefers.
Speaking in Jakarta, Kerry said the stability of the Asia-Pacific depended on achieving a binding code of conduct to help nations peacefully address competing claims in the South China Sea and to avoid conflict in one of the world's most strategically important waterways.
