United States Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas Jr. urged countries claiming the South China Sea in whole or in part to resolve their overlapping claims peacefully.

“We take no side in this issue. We call on all parties to exercise restraint,” Thomas said during the European Union Day reception at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati City.

“We think that this country should come to the negotiating table for your claims. However, we also believe that the Code of Conduct between China and ASEAN is important as means in negotiation,” he said.

The US supports moving to a binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the Ambassador said.

“That’s up to the states to decide but we’re very supportive of the Code of Conduct,” Thomas said.

The Philippines and Vietnam agreed last month on the desirability of moving to a binding Code of Conduct and to implement cooperation projects that will boost mutual confidence among claimant states.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario reaffirmed their commitments to resolve overlapping claims in the South China Sea in a peaceful manner without resorting to the use of force.

Del Rosario met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Khiem during his official visit to Vietnam on April 5.