Clinton urges more action on South China Sea dispute

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged China and Southeast Asia to finalize a code of conduct for the South China Sea, after the countries agreed last week to develop a new dispute resolution mechanism, Reuters reported. “We think it was an important step but only a first step,” Clinton said, commenting on the preliminary deal between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was reached at last week’s annual ASEAN Regional Forum. China, Taiwan and four ASEAN members – the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam – all claim portions of the South China Sea, which is home to potentially rich deposits and anywhere from one-third to one-half of global trade. Clinton urged countries to produce legal evidence for their territorial claims – a challenge for Beijing, which claims it has had undisputable sovereignty over large parts of the South China Sea since ancient times.