The U.S. State Department is calling for China to alter its approach toward the South China Sea, State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen said, according to the Voice of America.

“We call on China, as well as other claimants, to refrain from taking any steps towards the construction of new facilities, militarization of disputed features, and further land reclamation in the South China Sea, and to commit to resolving disputes peacefully with other claimants,” noted Richey-Allen.