China has dismissed a call from the U.S. for a moratorium on provocative acts in disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the current situation in the South China Sea is stable and claims to the contrary are just an overreaction.

 "Someone has been exaggerating or playing up the so-called tensions in the South China Sea. We don't agree with such a practice," Yi told reporters.

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China and four ASEAN countries--Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines--claim parts of South China Sea.

ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh appeared to echo China's statement rejecting the U.S. proposal for a freeze.

Speaking after a meeting of ASEAN ministers, he said that a mechanism was already in place to curtail activities that cause tensions in the South China Sea.

The ASEAN chief was referring to the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which expressed support for a peaceful and long-lasting solution to maritime disputes.

In a statement that seemed to leave Washington out of the diplomatic effort, Minh said ASEAN would do whatever it thinks is necessary to encourage China to fulfill its obligations under the 2002 agreement rather than take its cue from the U.S.

"It is up to ASEAN to encourage China to achieve a serious and effective implementation of this commitment, rather than ASEAN asking whether it should support or not support the (U.S.) proposal," he said.

Minh spoke after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that ensuring maritime security was the common responsibility of ASEAN and the U.S. and that they should cooperate on reducing tensions in the South China Sea.

Kerry arrived in Myanmar on Saturday to join foreign ministers and top diplomats from Southeast Asian countries as well as China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, and the European Union for the ASEAN Regional forum.

The Philippines, which is an ally of the U.S., backed Washington's call for managing tensions in the South China Sea.

But Albert del Rosario, the Philippines' foreign minister, did not use the term "freeze" or "moratorium" in a meeting with reporters on Friday.

Instead he used the word "cessation."

A U.S. official downplayed the change in language, saying Manila may have only wanted to show that its proposal was independent from Washington's.

TagsChina-U.S., China-ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum, John Kerry, Albert del Rosario, Le Luong Minh