( CNN ) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to defuse tensions between China and Japan , a strategic U.S. partner , on Saturday , asking the two rival nations to return to negotiations over a group of Pacific islands under dispute . During a press conference at the ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) summit in Hanoi , Vietnam , Clinton said the United States is willing to serve as mediator in the disagreement , which began to simmer last month when Japan detained a Chinese vessel that collided with Japanese boats in the disputed waters . `` We 've recommended to both [ Japan and China ] that the United States is more than willing to host a trilateral where we would bring China and Japan and their foreign ministers together to discuss a range of issues , '' Clinton said Saturday . `` It is in all of our interest for China and Japan to have stable , peaceful relations , '' she said , . A senior U.S. official told CNN that Clinton had raised the issue of three-way talks with Chinese State Counselor Dai Bingguo on Hainan Island and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Hanoi on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit . She also raised it with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in Hawaii earlier in the week , the official said . China and Japan have historically laid claim to the islands , which lie between the two nations . Called Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyutai Islands by China , the uninhabited islands have become the center of an escalating diplomatic spat . On Friday , China 's foreign ministry spokesman showed some irritation over Clinton 's claim that the Senkaku Islands fall within the scope of a U.S.-Japan security treaty . `` With respect to the Senkaku Islands , the United States has never taken a position on sovereignty , but we have made it very clear that the islands are part of our mutual treaty obligations , and the obligation to defend Japan , '' Clinton said Saturday . `` We have certainly encouraged both Japan and China to seek peaceful resolution of any disagreements that they have in this area or others . '' Ma Zhaoxu , the foreign ministry spokesman , said China `` will never accept any word or deed that includes the Diaoyu Islands of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security . '' The crew of the Chinese vessel was released following the incident last month . But the Chinese captain remains in custody , accused of ramming two Japanese boats with his vessel . On Friday , Japan said it will release the captain , but did not offer a time frame . The economic repercussions have been immediate . The Chinese government cut off high-level talks with Japan on coal and increased commercial flights between the countries . The dispute also threatens planned talks on a 2008 agreement to jointly develop gas fields located near the disputed islands and in other parts of the East China Sea . The China-Japan dispute parallels U.S. efforts to curb Chinese claims for territory in the South China Sea , out of fear the increasingly powerful Chinese military could seek to dominate Asian waters . At a regional security forum in Vietnam in July , Clinton waded into thorny territorial disputes in the area , saying Washington was concerned competing claims to the territory undermined international maritime law and commerce . While China has sought to negotiate territorial rights to the South China Sea individually with countries in the region , the ASEAN nations have called for a collaborative resolution . China maintains the disputes should not be `` internationalized . '' In addition to rich areas for fishing , the islands in the South China Sea are believed to have large oil and gas reserves and surround busy sea lanes shuttling resources for China 's fast-growing economy . Beijing has warned America that foreign interference in the waters off its southeastern coast constitute an affront on its sovereignty . CNN 's Elise Labott contributed to to this report .
Clinton : Peaceful relations are `` in all of our interest '' Uninhabited islands have stirred up tension between China and Japan . The United States has a responsibility to help prevent the conflict from escalating, but we should not be involved militarily or economically.