Britain calls for freedom of navigation in South China Sea

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond speaks at Peking University, in Beijing, August 12, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily

BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain's top diplomat called for freedom of navigation and overflights in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday but stopped short of criticising China, whose assertive territorial claims have unnerved some of its neighbours and the United States.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, speaking in Beijing days after a visit to Japan, added that the process of post-World War Two reconciliation was "not yet complete" in Asia. His remarks come as China prepares to hold a military parade in September to commemorate the end of the war.