US Defense Secretary warns China over intimidation

The US is spoiling for war with China after Washington warned Beijing to discontinue its military buildup in the South China Sea.

That warning was issued by Defense Secretary James Mattis in comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security forum in Singapore over the weekend.

Mattis hinted that there will be grave consequences as recent moves by Beijing were designed to intimidate other countries in the region.

“China’s policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness that our strategy promotes, it calls into question China’s broader goals,” Mattis said.

Read Also: US team in North Korea to prepare for proposed summit, Trump says

According to reports, China has built artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, and the U.S. military says there is a high possibility that China has installed anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, as part of military exercises.

“The placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purpose of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis said, adding, “China’s militarization of the Spratlys is also in direct contradiction to President Xi Jinping’s 2015 public assurances in the White House Rose Garden that they would not do this.”

 

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