US vows to stop China from taking disputed isles

WASHINGTON – The new administration of US President Donald Trump vowed on Monday the United States would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea, something Chinese state media has warned would require Washington to “wage war.”

The comments at a briefing from White House spokesman Sean Spicer signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious US handling of China’s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia, just days after Trump took office on Friday.

“The US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there,” Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. On Jan. 11, Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built

in the contested South China Sea.

“It’s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,” he said.

China responded yesterday, saying the United Sates was not a party to the dispute in the South China Sea.

“We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

“Our actions in the South China Sea are reasonable and fair. No matter what changes happen in other countries, what they say or what they want to do, China’s resolve to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea will not change,” she added.

China claims most of the South China Sea, while Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei claim parts of the sea that commands strategic sea lanes and has rich fishing grounds along with oil and gas deposits.

China’s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was “irrefutable,” Hua said. But China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution.

Tillerson’s remarks at his Senate confirmation hearing prompted Chinese state media to say at the time that the US would need to “wage war” to bar China’s access to the islands where it has built military-length air strips and installed weapons systems.

Tillerson was asked at the hearing whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China and said: “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

The former Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands.

But analysts said his comments, like those of Spicer, suggested the possibility of US military action, or even a naval blockade. Such action would risk an armed confrontation with China, an increasingly formidable nuclear-armed military power. It is also the world’s secondlargest economy and the target of Trump accusations it is stealing American jobs.

Spicer declined to elaborate when asked how the US could enforce such a move against China, except to say: “I think, as we develop further, we’ll have more information on it.”

Tillerson narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday and is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate.

Risk of dangerous escalation

Military experts said that while the US Navy has extensive capabilities in Asia to stage blockading operations with ships, submarines and planes, any such move against China’s growing naval fleets would risk a dangerous escalation.

Aides have said that Trump plans a major naval build-up in East Asia to counter China’s rise.

In Beijing, Hua reiterated China’s position that it was doing nothing to interfere with freedom of navigation through the South China Sea.

“China staunchly protects all countries’ freedom of navigation in accordance with international law and staunchly protects the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Hua said.

China’s foreign ministry said this month it could not guess what Tillerson meant by his remarks, which came after Trump questioned Washington’s longstanding and highly sensitive one-China policy over Taiwan.