Kerry off to Asia to address maritime disputes NKorea nukes

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waves as he leaves Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, en route to Vientiane, Laos. Kerry is in Saudi Arabia on the second leg of his latest round-the-world diplomatic mission, which will also take him to Laos, Cambodia and China. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
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VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is pressing for peaceful resolutions to increasingly tense maritime disputes in Asia tour vietnam and cambodia urging China to take a firmer stand on North Korea's nuclear program after its recent bomb test.

Kerry arrived in the Laotian capital Sunday, with later stops planned for Cambodia and China, extending an around-the-world diplomatic mission that began with a heavy emphasis on the Middle East, particularly Iran tour vietnam and cambodia efforts to bring an end to Syria's civil war.

Laos is the current head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose members are becoming more vocal in complaints about China's growing assertiveness over competing claims in the South China Sea.

Next month, President Barack Obama will host the ASEAN leaders in California.

Before that summit, U.S. officials say, Kerry will make the case escorted tours to vietnam and cambodia the leader of the 10-nation bloc to present a unified stance in dealing with China on the disputes. They have intensified as China steps up construction of man-made islands tour vietnam and cambodia airstrips in contested areas.