Gates: U.S. hails steps for maritime 'code of conduct'

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The U.S. defense secretary was speaking in Hanoi
China and other nations have competing claims

(CNN) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States is pleased that nations in the South China Sea region are "making initial steps" to develop a code of conduct over competing maritime territorial claims.

"We applaud this multilateralist approach," said Gates, speaking Tuesday in Hanoi, Vietnam, before a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

Gates raised the issue that such territorial disagreements "appear to be a growing challenge to regional stability and prosperity."

"The United States does not take sides on competing territorial claims, such as those in the South China Sea. Competing claims should be settled peacefully, without force or coercion, through collaborative diplomatic processes, and in keeping with customary international law.

"On that note, we are encouraged to see claimant nations in the South China Sea making initial steps to discuss the development of a full code of conduct, in line with the 2002 ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties."

Beijing says most of the South China Sea belongs to China, disputing neighboring countries' claims. The clash over territorial waters and islands -- and the natural resources that go with them -- is a flashpoint in the Asia-Pacific region.

A diplomatic battle broke out last month between China and Japan over Japan's arrest of a Chinese fishing captain off the disputed Diaoyu Islands. China makes claims to the islands but the Japanese regard them as an integral part of Japanese territory and call them the Senkaku.

ASEAN is a political and economic organization consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The talks in Vietnam include other nations, such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.