Obama aide visits the leader of China after S. China Sea ruling

BEIJING — China and the U.S. should deal with their differences candidly, U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, as ties were set to be tested after a tribunal invalidated Beijing’s vast claims in the South China Sea.

Rice is the highest-level White House official to visit China since the July 12 ruling by an international tribunal delivered a victory to the Philippines, a U.S. ally, in its dispute with China.

Meeting Xi, Rice said that the U.S. and China’s interdependence meant that China’s success was also in America’s interest and that the two nations have demonstrated that they can work together on major global issues such as climate change.

Xi told Rice that he was committed to building a good bilateral relationship.