U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Brunei Monday to attend a meeting of Asia-Pacific nations where a wide-range of security topics including South China Sea dispute and nuclear disarmament will be discussed.
The meetings will kick off the 20tn ASEAN Regional Forum on Tuesday and Kerry's appearance at the security forum showcases Washington's sincerity in its promised interest in maintaining peace in Asia, according to the Voice of America.
At the opening of the ten-member group security meeting on Sunday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario renewed its verbal attack against Beijing's increasing militarization in South China Sea in preparation of wider control of energy and fishing rights in the region.
"They have constantly ships there that vary in number, and we are prevented in our own EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) from fishing, from sourcing our natural resources and from enforcing our laws," said del Rosario, according to the Reuters.
The rebuke by the foreign minister comes a day after the Chinese state media warned of an inevitable "counterstrike" against the Philippines if it kept provoking the Beijing government.
The dispute over South China Sea has surged between the two countries since China's aggressive bid to increase its control over the oil and gas rich sea began last year.
Besides showing Washington's interest in Asian security, the U.S. state secretary will also meet with his counterparts from Japan, China and South China to discuss the nuclear disarmament of Pyongyang government.
John Kerry is also scheduled to meet the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with whom he will probably raise the Snowden case as well as discuss the situation in Syria.
