U.S. President Barack Obama (L) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama urged China to peacefully resolve its maritime disputes with neighboring countries and to maintain freedom of navigation in the region, a reference to the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

In talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside the Nuclear Security Summit on Thursday, Obama discussed U.S. support for human rights in China and called for the ability of companies to be able to compete fairly in China, it said.