East Asia maritime diplomacy needed: U.S. defense secretary

East Asia maritime issues should be resolved via peaceful diplomatic means, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said in Beijing on Tuesday.

The United States has concerns about challenges in marine issues in east Asia and call for calm and restraint on all sides, Panetta said during talks with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie.

Panetta arrived in Beijing on Monday evening, kicking off his first visit to China as Pentagon chief.

The China trip is the second leg of his week-long Asia-Pacific visit, which also takes him to Japan and New Zealand.