Defense Secretary Carter to cruise on U.S. warship near disputed sea

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and his Malaysian counterpart will cruise on the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday, a U.S. defense official said, for a voyage likely to highlight tension over rival claims in the South China Sea. There was no information about where the U.S. warship would sail but it has been on patrol in the South China Sea where territorial disputes between China and several of its neighbors have raised fears of conflict. Carter and the Malaysian minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, have been attending a regional defense ministers' meeting in Malaysia, along with the Chinese defense chief, where differences over the South China Sea surfaced. (This version of the story was refiled to amend secretary's surname on second reference) (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Nick Macfie)