US Defense chief Esper's plan to visit China 'good' for South China Sea issues —Lorenzana

For Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper's plan to visit China is beneficial for the South China Sea amid tensions in the region.

"I think it's good that Secretary Esper is planning to go to China to talk to his counterpart. You know, if the two superpowers will discuss things especially concerning the South China Sea, it's good for us here in the region," Lorenzana said at a pre-SONA forum and press conference on Wednesday.

"So, it's good for us. I agree with that plan to discuss, to go there and talk to each other," he added.

Reports said Esper is eyeing to visit Beijing by the end of the year "to improve crisis communications channels and address other areas of mutual interest."

Earlier, the US said it will support countries that believe China has violated their maritime claims in the South China Sea but noted that it would be done through diplomatic ways.

The US has long opposed China's expansive territorial claims on the South China Sea, sending warships regularly through the strategic waterway to demonstrate freedom of navigation in the region.

The international tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands nullified Beijing's massive sea claim in the South China Sea. However, China has since ignored the ruling.—AOL, GMA News