U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried Sunday to calm the brewing storm over territorial disputes in Asian waters, appealing to China and its neighbors to settle their differences and ease tensions, AP reported. Kerry said at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it was not enough to keep working on a long-delayed code of conduct for the South China Sea, where many nations have competing claims. "We think the urgency of developments means that it is not enough simply to wait for that solution to arrive," Kerry said. "Obvious dangers arise during waiting time. The claimants need to take steps now to lower the temperature." Kerry added that the U.S. believes "the obligation to clarify claims in keeping with international law applies to all claimants, not just China."
