As the administration of U. S. President Donald Trump settles into its first week in office, it’s run into no shortage of controversy. From sparking some of the largest — if not the largest — rounds of protest in American history, to spouting easily debunked claims on inauguration turnout, Trump’s first few days appeared to be a continuation of both his campaign and post-election push, marrying conspiracy with questions about what comes next.
As it pertains to disputed territories abroad, however, Trump’s team wasted little time in staking its claims. On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told American media that the United States will take appropriate measures to make sure international territory in the South China Sea remains just that: international. Speaking on the territorial questions in the region, Spicer said , “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.”
In a sense, Spicer’s comments — which noted that the United States “is going to make sure that we protect our interests there”- – weren’t altogether surprising. Not only has Trump notably ratcheted up American rhetoric toward constraining Chinese interests, but, a few days prior, presumptive Secretary of State Rex Tillerson even lobbed the possibility of barring China outright from accessing the islands in question.
