China on Friday urged the United States to respect its territorial integrity, amid tensions sparked by overlapping claims to the South China Sea, dpa reported. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the resort island of Bali ahead of a regional security forum to be held on Saturday. "The Chinese side raised its own concerns, which are that it is important to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, and to respect China's major concerns in the issues of Tibet and some other sensitive issues," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said after the talks. "I sense that the US side understands the sensitivity of these issues and they both agreed to further promote dialogue and mutual understanding," Liu said. China has been locked in disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia over the South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas. Vietnam and the Philippines have accused China of harassing their ships, raising tensions in the region. The US has pledged to defend the Philippines under the two countries' mutual defence treaty and has held naval exercises with Vietnam. -- SPA
