Clinton claims US national interest in resolving South China Sea disputes

US: Asia must resolve claims on disputed islands

HANOI, Vietnam — The Obama administration says the peaceful resolution of thorny territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea is a U.S. national interest and is urging the countries involved to negotiate a solution.

At a regional security forum in Vietnam on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington was concerned that conflicting claims on the Spratly and Paracel island chains interfere with maritime commerce, hamper access to international waters in the area and undermine the U.N. law of the sea.

Her comments are likely to anger China, the most powerful claimant, but Clinton says the U.S. doesn’t support any country’s sovereignty over the islands. The U.S., she says, is willing to work with the all the parties to help negotiate an end to the disputes.