Rising tensions surrounding the South China Sea threaten regional peace, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday as she warned against force to solve the dispute. “The United States is concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea threaten the peace and stability on which the remarkable progress of the Asia Pacific region has been built,” Clinton told a security forum in Indonesia.
“These incidents endanger the safety of life at sea, escalate tensions, undermine freedom of navigation, and pose risks to lawful unimpeded commerce and economic development.” In prepared remarks to foreign ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum, Clinton also warned all the rival claimants to the strategically vital South China Sea against using force to bolster their positions.
