美中召开年度高层战略会谈

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is urging China and its Asia-Pacific neighbors to "find a diplomatic solution" to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Kerry made the remarks Monday at the opening of the eighth annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing.

About $5 trillion of annual trade passes through the South China Sea, which is also believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.

Angry over U.S. surveillance flights over in the airspace over the region, Beijing is reportedly considering establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone over portions of the South China Sea, which would require all incoming aircraft to register with Chinese authorities to fly in the air route. During a stopover in Mongolia Sunday, Kerry said such an action would be "a provocative and destabilizing act."

Kerry also used his opening remarks to highlight "new milestones in cooperation" between Beijing and Washington on a number of issues, including climate change, global health emergencies and curbing nuclear proliferation, including the recent tightening of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.美国国务卿克里说，美国敦促中国及其亚太邻国通过外交途径解决南中国海领土争端。

星期一，克里在北京举行的第8轮美中战略与经济对话上发表了上述评论。

每年穿越南中国海水域的贸易商品总值约5万亿美元，据信该地区的石油和天然气储量也很丰富。

北京对美国在南中国海上空进行侦查飞行表示愤怒，据报正考虑在南中国海上空设立防空识别区。克里星期日在蒙古停留期间说，北京如果采取这一挑衅举动，将会破坏稳定。

克里在美中战略与经济对话开幕之际讲话时还强调，北京和华盛顿在一系列问题上取得了里程碑式的合作成果，例如气候变化、全球保健应急、以及遏制核扩散等，也包括最近因为朝鲜核项目而加强了对朝鲜的制裁。