3 September 2012
Last updated at 04:40 GMT
Mrs Clinton is on an 11-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region
Mrs Clinton, who will meet Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is on an 11-day tour of the region.
She flew in from the Cook Islands, where she attended a Pacific summit.
Her extended visit is being seen as a sign that the US is stepping up its diplomatic offensive in the region, as part of President Barack Obama's "pivot to Asia" in the face of an assertive China, analysts say.
Mrs Clinton is also scheduled to visit China, East Timor and Brunei before heading to the Apec forum in Russia.
'Diplomatic conversation' An official on Mrs Clinton's plane told journalists that the US wanted "to strengthen Asean unity going forward".
Rows over the South China Sea have left the 10-member regional bloc - formally known as the Association of South East Asian Nations - divided.
China has overlapping claims with four Asean members in the South China Sea. Earlier this year, vessels from China and the Philippines faced off for several weeks over one area, the Scarborough Shoal.
At a regular meeting hosted by Cambodia in July, Asean for the first time in its 45-year history failed to issue a joint statement because of tensions over the disputes.
Vietnam and the Philippines have accused host Cambodia of yielding to Chinese pressure to keep the issue off the agenda.
Since then Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has visited regional leaders in a bid to encourage co-operation and the implementation of a joint code of conduct for all parties who claim the various islands.
The official on the plane - speaking anonymously as is customary - said Mrs Clinton wanted to see "how we can put more wind into the sails of a diplomatic effort"
"The most important thing is that we end up in a diplomatic process where these issues are addressed in a strong diplomatic conversation between a unified Asean and China rather than through any kind of coercion," the official said.
Mrs Clinton is also expected to raise the issue of human rights for religious minority groups, amid what Human Rights Watch described as "rising religious intolerance" in Indonesia.
She will then fly on to China for two days of talks.
South China Sea focus for Clinton Indonesia visit
Mrs Clinton is on an 11-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region
US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Indonesia for talks set to
include a push for unity among South East Asian nations over territorial
disputes with China.
Talks are expected to focus on regional grouping Asean and its role in tackling wrangling over the South China Sea. Mrs Clinton, who will meet Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is on an 11-day tour of the region.
She flew in from the Cook Islands, where she attended a Pacific summit.
Her extended visit is being seen as a sign that the US is stepping up its diplomatic offensive in the region, as part of President Barack Obama's "pivot to Asia" in the face of an assertive China, analysts say.
Mrs Clinton is also scheduled to visit China, East Timor and Brunei before heading to the Apec forum in Russia.
'Diplomatic conversation' An official on Mrs Clinton's plane told journalists that the US wanted "to strengthen Asean unity going forward".
Rows over the South China Sea have left the 10-member regional bloc - formally known as the Association of South East Asian Nations - divided.
China has overlapping claims with four Asean members in the South China Sea. Earlier this year, vessels from China and the Philippines faced off for several weeks over one area, the Scarborough Shoal.
At a regular meeting hosted by Cambodia in July, Asean for the first time in its 45-year history failed to issue a joint statement because of tensions over the disputes.
Vietnam and the Philippines have accused host Cambodia of yielding to Chinese pressure to keep the issue off the agenda.
Since then Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has visited regional leaders in a bid to encourage co-operation and the implementation of a joint code of conduct for all parties who claim the various islands.
The official on the plane - speaking anonymously as is customary - said Mrs Clinton wanted to see "how we can put more wind into the sails of a diplomatic effort"
"The most important thing is that we end up in a diplomatic process where these issues are addressed in a strong diplomatic conversation between a unified Asean and China rather than through any kind of coercion," the official said.
Mrs Clinton is also expected to raise the issue of human rights for religious minority groups, amid what Human Rights Watch described as "rising religious intolerance" in Indonesia.
She will then fly on to China for two days of talks.
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