U.S. Wades Into South China Sea Dispute

Hillary Clinton tells China and its neighbors to agree to a code of conduct

During a news conference in Jakarta with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Ms Clinton focused on the aftermath of July's summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where efforts to agree on a common approach to territorial tensions withChina collapsed in disarray, raising fears of increased friction.

Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over a vast stretch of the South China Sea has set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to other parts of the region, making it Asia's biggest potential military flashpoint.