Washington openly press China on South China Sea issues

U.S. top defense officials underlining Washington's military superiority and vowing to remain the main guarantor of Asian security for decades to come.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter told on the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security forum in Singapore that U.S. approach to the Asia-Pacific remained "one of commitment, strength and inclusion", but he also warned China against provocative behavior in the South China Sea.

Any action by China to reclaim land in the Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop in the disputed sea, would have consequences, Carter said.

The deputy head of China's delegation to the forum said any attempts by the United States to isolate China would fail.

"This is a time of cooperation and common security," Rear Admiral Guan Youfei told reporters. "The U.S. action to take sides is not agreed by many countries. We hope the U.S. will also listen to the other countries."