Kerry says confident new U.S. administration will stick to same principles on regional security

By Reuters/Mai Nguyen   January 13, 2017 | 02:47 am PT
Kerry says confident new U.S. administration will stick to same principles on regional security
Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, January 13, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon/Pool
The outgoing Secretary of State believes all disputes should be solved peacefully in accordance with international law.

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday he was confident that the Trump administration would stick to the same principles on regional security as those of the Obama administration.

In reference to the disputed South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, he told a university audience in Ho Chi Minh City that countries big or small should refrain from provocation and any dispute should be solved peacefully in accordance with international law.

His comments came after U.S. Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson said the U.S. must send a clear signal to China that its island-building in the South China Sea must stop and that its access to those islands must not be allowed. 

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, January 13, 2017.Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, January 13, 2017.Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

Secretary of State John Kerry presents a Letter of Intent, to fund the construction of Fulbright Universitys new campus, to Dam Bich Thuy, president of Fulbright University Vietnam, at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, January 13, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

Secretary of State John Kerry presents a Letter of Intent, to fund the construction of Fulbright University's new campus, to Dam Bich Thuy, president of Fulbright University Vietnam, at Ho Chi Minh University of Technology and Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, January 13, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Vietnam late Thursday to begin what many consider a low-key visit at a time when all eyes are on President-elect Donald Trump’s team-in-waiting and the future of global politics. On Saturday he will tour the Mekong Delta, where he served as a commander of an American patrol boat during the Vietnam War.

Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, at the Office of the Government, before their meeting Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, at the Office of the Government, before their meeting Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Alex Brandon

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