U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged China to engage in talks as soon as possible to realize an effective code of conduct agreement to resolve the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

Clinton made such comments during the ASEAN Regional Forum held on Thursday, where she also demanded the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) take a unified stance to resolve the issue.

In response, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Beijing is moving in line with international laws, and its sovereign right over the disputed region is historically grounded.