U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Dili, the capital of East Timor — her latest stop on a six-nation Asia-Pacific tour.
Clinton is the first U.S. secretary of state ever to officially travel to Dili.
She arrived there after talks Wednesday in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao, where they discussed ways to strengthen economic and political ties.
Clinton said they talked about their agreements and disagreements in an open manner. President Hu expressed hope the United States would resist trade protectionism, ease restrictions on high-technology exports to China, and back fair competition for Chinese enterprises investing in the United States.
Earlier, Clinton said during a news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, that it is no secret the United States is disappointed with China and Russia for blocking tougher U.N. resolutions against Syria.
The United States wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. His government has been battling rebels in an 18-month-long conflict that has killed thousands.
Yang said China opposes foreign intervention in Syria. He said any solution should come from the Syrian people.
China has agreed to work on a code of conduct to manage territorial disputes with its neighbors regarding the resource-rich South China Sea, without altering its claims in the region.
Clinton said it is in everyone's interest to agree on the code, but denied Beijing's accusation that the United States is attempting to rein in China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
After East Timor, Clinton will visit Brunei and attend a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Russia.