Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-18
By: Staff Reporter
The United States is starting to take serious action against China’s growing
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, in Beijing on May 16, 2015. (Photo/CFP)
influence in the South China Sea, says Duowei News, a US-based political news outlet.
Shortly before Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Beijing for a diplomatic visit on Saturday, the Pentagon announed that it is considering sending US military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where China is engaged in several territorial disputes and extensive land reclamation activities.
US defense secretary Ash Carter has reportedly requested options that include sending the aircraft and ships to within 12 nautical miles of reefs that China has been building up in the Spratly Islands, which are claimed in whole or part by China as well as Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia, also told Congress last week that the US “will not hesitate to defend our national security interests and to honor our commitments to allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific.” [FULL STORY]
