The United States is urging southeast Asian nations to work “collaboratively and diplomatically” to resolve territorial disputes, such as disagreements over the South China Sea.

In remarks prepared for a conference Thursday in Cambodia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says multilateral talks should be used to address ways to settle the disputes. She says the issues involved often affect a wider region, and two-party negotiations can bring “confusion and even confrontation.”

Clinton is attending meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and holding separate sessions with her counterparts from the region, including key talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam claim all or part of the South China Sea, with its vast fishing grounds and potential oil and gas deposits.