Clinton seeks Chinese accord on South China Sea

[September 04, 2012]  BEIJING (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Beijing to press Chinese authorities to agree to peacefully resolve disputes with their smaller neighbors over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Clinton arrived in Beijing on Tuesday after a stop in Indonesia, where she urged Southeast Asian nations to present a unified front in dealing with China and ease rising tensions in the South China Sea. The U.S. wants China and the other claimants to adopt a binding code of conduct for the region, along with a process to resolve disputes without coercion or intimidation.

Clinton was meeting with China's foreign minister late Tuesday and is to see the country's president and other top officials Wednesday.

[Associated Press; By MATTHEW LEE]

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