"They don't mind a confrontation with a Vietnamese fishing boat, but they don't want a confrontation with the United States. "I don't think China wants a confrontation with the United States," he told reporters. WASHINGTON: The United States is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines , Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on an international court ruling that denied China's claims to the South China Sea, several US administration officials said on Wednesday. "We don't have a dog in this fight other than our belief...in freedom of navigation," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing on Wednesday. "What we want to see in this very tense part of Asia, of the Pacific, rather, is a de-escalation of tensions and we want to see all claimants take a moment to look at how we can find a peaceful way forward.

Source: Economic Times July 14, 2016 03:30 UTC