Pentagon Chief: US ‘Cannot Accept’ China’s ‘Militarization’ in South China Sea
Mark Schiefelbein
United States Defense Secretary James Mattis reiterated Washington’s position on the South China Sea Friday, calling for Japan and South Korea to work with America in the sea to prevent a singular power from dominating its waters.
"I think that all of us joining hands together — ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] allies and partners — and we affirm as we do so that no single nation can rewrite the international rules to the road and expect all nations large and small to respect those rules," the secretary of defense said Friday after meeting with Japanese and South Korean officials in Singapore, The Hill reported.
The defense chief said the US would continue "to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows and our national interests demand," before declaring that the US "cannot accept the [People's Republic of China's] militarization of the South China Sea or any coercion in this region."
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201810201069046623-pentagon-us-cannot-accept-china-militarization-south-china-sea/
