Territory - Spratly Islands

The beautiful islands in the South China Sea apparently are not only China's "core interest", but they have also attracted the affection of the US. While reaffirming the American neutrality over the territorial disputes, the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton declared at an Asian regional security forum that "“The United States has a national interest in freedom of navigation, open access to Asia’s maritime commons and respect for international law in the South China Sea.” She offered to facilitate multilateral talks on the issue, referring repeatedly to the need to settle the rival territorial claims under international law - including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty to which the US itself is not a party, - and "existing Asean principles". She also said, ""Legitimate claims to maritime space in the South China Sea should be derived solely from legitimate claims to land features." While the US position won the support of many Asean countries, Chinese FM Yang Jiechi warned that US involvement would increase regional tensions.