US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern to China on Wednesday over its land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea and militarisation of the waters, a US official said.

"Secretary Kerry reiterated his concern about rising tensions over disputed claims in the South China Sea and China's large scale reclamation, construction, and militarisation of features there," a State Department official told reporters after Kerry met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malaysia.

"He encouraged China, along with the other claimants, to halt problematic actions in order to create space for diplomacy."