Territory - Paracel and Spratly Islands

Law of the Sea

Speaking in Hanoi, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates reasserted that Washington had a strong interest in maritime security in Asia and called for "multilateral institutions" to confront the security challenges in the South China Sea. Later, at the "Asean Plus Eight" meeting of defence chiefs, he said, "Disagreements over territorial claims and the appropriate use of the maritime domain appear to be a growing challenge to regional stability and prosperity." He suggested that "competing claims should be settled peacefully, without force or coercion, through collaborative diplomatic processes, and in keeping with customary international law." At least Robert Gates, unlike Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, had the humility not to invoke the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty that US itself had not ratified (together with like-minded states such as North Korea and Iran).