Beijing's claim to almost the whole of the East Sea is "problematic" and China’s actions have raised tensions, a US official reportedly said on July 8.

According to the French news agency AFP, the official speaking on condition of anonymity said this on the eve of high-stake talks between the US and China, and was one of the members accompanying US Secretary of State John Kerry on the trip to Beijing the same day to attend the 6 th US-China Strategic and Economic
Dialogue.

AFP quoted the official as saying: “The ambiguity associated with the nine-dash line is problematic."

The heightened tensions are "very relevant to the United States as a Pacific power, as a major trading nation, as an important consumer of the sea lanes and as a long-term guarantor of stability in the Asia-Pacific region," the official was quoted as saying.

Officials travelling with Kerry said they had heightened concerns about "the readiness of claimants to utilise military, paramilitary, coastguard forces in furtherance of their claims".

The US also accused China of destabilising acts and urged it to uphold freedom of navigation in the key waterways.-VNA