Kerry confronts US spying row at Asia security talks

US secretary of state John Kerry on Tuesday flew into a row with the European Union over allegations that Washington spied on its allies, as he took part in a forum aimed at building security in the Asia-Pacific.

Kerry went straight from four days of intensive diplomacy in the Middle East to a meeting hosted by Southeast Asian nations in the gas-rich sultanate of Brunei, where South China Sea disputes and North Korea were also set to dominate talks.

Kerry was due to hold a series of direct meetings with counterparts from world powers on the sidelines of the forum, which ends Wednesday with a gathering of 26 Asia-Pacific countries and the European Union.