China Tells US To "Act And Speak Cautiously" In Response To Spicer "Threat" Over South China Sea

Zero Hedge ^ | 1-24-2017 | Tyler Durden

[blam]

January 24, 2017

The latest diplomatic spat between the US and China erupted overnight, when China said on Tuesday it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after White House spokesman Sean Spicer vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway. Spicer's first official comments on Monday signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious U.S. handling of China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia.

"The U.S. 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. Two weeks ago, 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," Spicer said.

This led to the now traditional escalating Chinese response, when, as cited by Reuters, the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Tuesday "the United States is not a party to the South China Sea dispute".

She added that China's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was "irrefutable" and said that China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution.

"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," Hua said.

"Our actions in the South China Sea are reasonable and fair. No matter what changes happen in other countries...

(snip)

[servantboy777]

>>How strategic are those islands?<<

They've given the Chi-coms a reach they did not have eight years ago.

May have been able to ignore them a while ago, but now the Chi-coms have incorporated military aircraft runways/hangers, radar, Surface to air missile/anti-aircraft batteries. Lil hard to ignore now. Certainly wouldn't want to fly directly over them.

[Logical me]

Screw China! Millions of Chinese are dying due to a corrupt communists leadership of criminal thugs.