Southeast Asian states must present a united front to the Chinese in dealing with territorial disputes in the South China Sea to "literally calm the waters," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday.
And she urged all involved to make "meaningful progress" on a process for ending conflicts "without coercion, without intimidation and certainly without the use of force" by November.
In Indonesia's capital before heading to China, Clinton offered strong U.S. support for a regionally endorsed six-point plan to ease rising tensions by implementing a code of conduct for all claimants to disputed islands. Jakarta is the headquarters of the Association of South East Asian Nations, and Clinton pressed the group to insist that China agree to a formal multilateral mechanism to reduce short-term risks of conflict and ultimately come to final settlements over sovereignty.
The stance puts the U.S. squarely at odds with China, which has become increasingly assertive in pressing its territorial claims with its smaller neighbors and wants the disputes to be resolved individually with each country, giving it greater leverage than dealing with a bloc.
Clinton made the case in Tuesday meetings with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan, a day after she delivered the same message to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
AP
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,... View Full Caption
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, talks to the media as Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa listens during a press conference after their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Close
"The United States has a national interest, as every country does, in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea," Clinton told reporters at a news conference with Natalegawa.
"The United States does not take a position on competing territorial claims ... but we believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation and certainly without the use of force," she said. "That is why we encourage ASEAN and China to make meaningful progress toward finalizing a comprehensive code of conduct in order to establish rules of the road and clear procedures for peacefully addressing disagreements."
Indonesia has played a leading role in putting the six-point plan together after ASEAN was unable to reach consensus on the matter in July. Clinton said the U.S. is "encouraged" by the plan but wants it acted on — particularly implementation and enforcement of the code of conduct, which has languished since a preliminary framework for it was first agreed upon in 2002. Clinton said the U.S. wants to see the disputes resolved between China and ASEAN.
The U.S. believes the alliance has collective clout that its 10 members do not have individually, and Clinton said the U.S. sees it as important for ASEAN and China to have something to show for their efforts by a November summit of East Asian leaders that President Barack Obama plans to attend in Cambodia.
"It is time for diplomacy," she said. "We have the East Asia Summit coming up. This should be the goal that diplomacy pursues to try to attain agreement ... on a robust code of conduct to begin to try to literally calm the waters and enable people to work together toward better outcomes. I think we can make progress before the East Asia Summit and it is certainly in everyone's interest that we do so."
Natalegawa agreed with Clinton on the importance of the code of conduct and the need to set it up quickly.
And she urged all involved to make "meaningful progress" on a process for ending conflicts "without coercion, without intimidation and certainly without the use of force" by November.
In Indonesia's capital before heading to China, Clinton offered strong U.S. support for a regionally endorsed six-point plan to ease rising tensions by implementing a code of conduct for all claimants to disputed islands. Jakarta is the headquarters of the Association of South East Asian Nations, and Clinton pressed the group to insist that China agree to a formal multilateral mechanism to reduce short-term risks of conflict and ultimately come to final settlements over sovereignty.
The stance puts the U.S. squarely at odds with China, which has become increasingly assertive in pressing its territorial claims with its smaller neighbors and wants the disputes to be resolved individually with each country, giving it greater leverage than dealing with a bloc.
Clinton made the case in Tuesday meetings with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan, a day after she delivered the same message to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
AP
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,... View Full Caption
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, talks to the media as Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa listens during a press conference after their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Close
"The United States has a national interest, as every country does, in the maintenance of peace and stability, respect for international law, freedom of navigation, unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea," Clinton told reporters at a news conference with Natalegawa.
"The United States does not take a position on competing territorial claims ... but we believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation and certainly without the use of force," she said. "That is why we encourage ASEAN and China to make meaningful progress toward finalizing a comprehensive code of conduct in order to establish rules of the road and clear procedures for peacefully addressing disagreements."
Indonesia has played a leading role in putting the six-point plan together after ASEAN was unable to reach consensus on the matter in July. Clinton said the U.S. is "encouraged" by the plan but wants it acted on — particularly implementation and enforcement of the code of conduct, which has languished since a preliminary framework for it was first agreed upon in 2002. Clinton said the U.S. wants to see the disputes resolved between China and ASEAN.
The U.S. believes the alliance has collective clout that its 10 members do not have individually, and Clinton said the U.S. sees it as important for ASEAN and China to have something to show for their efforts by a November summit of East Asian leaders that President Barack Obama plans to attend in Cambodia.
"It is time for diplomacy," she said. "We have the East Asia Summit coming up. This should be the goal that diplomacy pursues to try to attain agreement ... on a robust code of conduct to begin to try to literally calm the waters and enable people to work together toward better outcomes. I think we can make progress before the East Asia Summit and it is certainly in everyone's interest that we do so."
Natalegawa agreed with Clinton on the importance of the code of conduct and the need to set it up quickly.