MANILA – The US Senate has unanimously approved Senate Resolution 167, which calls for a peaceful resolution of maritime and territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.

Senate Resolution 167, filed on Monday by Senators Robert Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey), Marco Antonio Rubio (Republican, Florida), and Ben Cardin (Democrat, Maryland), also urges countries contesting ownership of parts of the West Philippine Sea and East China Sea to create and approve a code of conduct to avoid conflicts.

“The territorial disputes at play in the Asia-Pacific region today are not about the past, but very much about the future of a region poised to serve as an epicenter for global economic development for the twenty first century,” Menendez said in a statement.

“With a long history of engagement in the region, the United States has a vital interest in working with all nations in developing, institutionalizing, and sustaining a rules-based order for the area. That starts with putting in place effective mechanisms to manage maritime disputes that destabilize the region, and supporting and encouraging the peaceful resolution of disputes in the Asia-Pacific maritime domain.”

Read more: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/31/13/us-senate-okays-reso-vs-chinas-use-force