Honor territorial pledge, US told

China asked the United States on Friday to take no position on the South China Sea issue after a top US officer promised to back the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in patrolling areas of the waterway.

The US navy officer suggested on Tuesday that the Southeast Asian countries form a combined maritime force to patrol areas of the South China Sea.

"If ASEAN members were to take the lead in organizing something along those lines, trust me, the US 7th Fleet would be ready to support," Robert Thomas, commander of the US navy 7th Fleet, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying in Malaysia.