Clinton urges multilateral approach to South China Sea

In an intervention likely to rankle China, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged that South China Sea issues be addressed multilaterally. Via Reuters (and h/t Tom Wright at the Brookings Institution): "We believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively and diplomatically to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation, without threats, and ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

In an intervention likely to rankle China, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged that South China Sea issues be addressed multilaterally. Via Reuters (and h/t Tom Wright at the Brookings Institution):

In an intervention likely to rankle China, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged that South China Sea issues be addressed multilaterally. Via Reuters (and h/t Tom Wright at the Brookings Institution):

"We believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively and diplomatically to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation, without threats, and without use of force," Clinton told the East Asia Summit meeting in Phnom Penh, according to a text released by the State Department.

Long-simmering tensions in the waters entered a more contentious chapter this year, with claimant countries searching deeper into disputed waters for energy supplies while building up their navies and military alliances.

"Issues such as freedom of navigation and lawful exploitation of maritime resources often involve a wide region, and approaching them strictly bilaterally could be a recipe for confusion and even confrontation," Clinton added.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

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