Locke urges bilateral talks to resolve issues

Territorial disputes in both the East China Sea and South China Sea should be resolved by China and involve countries on a bilateral basis, and the United States will still stay neutral in the process, US Ambassador to China Gary Locke said on Thursday in Washington.

"We are very sincere about our statement saying we are neutral," he said, after delivering a speech at an event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the US-China Business Council.

It was Locke's only public appearance during his trip to the US capital.