US, Indonesia Call for Follow-Up on South China Sea Agreement

Posted July 24th, 2011 at 4:40 am (UTC-5)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marti Natalegawa have called for urgent follow-up on an agreement by China and the ASEAN countries for a peaceful resolution to disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The two top diplomats discussed the issue in a bilateral meeting Sunday in Bali.

At a joint news conference, Clinton said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China should move urgently on a code of conduct to avoid conflict in the resource-rich region.

Natalegawa told reporters he hopes for further advances in the process before his country hosts the East Asia Summit in November. The summit will include the U.S. for the first time.

China lays claim to virtually the entire region, while there are competing claims to various areas of the sea by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Sunday's talks in Bali also covered Burma, border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, and human rights.