The secretary of defense has laid to rest, for the time being, Chinese fears that the U. S. will take military action in the South China Sea.
Speaking in Tokyo, Japan, Secretary of Defense General James Mattis said Saturday that the U. S. will not make \u201cdramatic military moves\u201d in the highly-contested waters of the South China Sea.
\u201cAt this time, we do not see any need for dramatic military moves at all,\u201d Mattis explained , emphasizing the importance of diplomacy in solving regional disputes. \u201cWhat we have to do is exhaust all efforts \u2014 diplomatic efforts \u2014 to try and resolve this properly, maintaining open lines of communication.\u201d
Some other members of President Donald Trump\u2019s team had previously raised concerns in Beijing that the U. S. intended to challenge Chinese claims to the region militarily.
When he compared China\u2019s actions in the South China Sea to \u201cRussia\u2019s taking of the Crimea,\u201d Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused the Chinese of \u201ctaking territory or control or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China\u2019s.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed,\u201d he added.
Some observers assumed he simply misspoke, but then the White House press secretary doubled down on his remarks.
\u201cI think the U. S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there,\u201d White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said during his first official press conference.
\u201cIf those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yes, we\u2019re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,\u201d he further explained.
While Mattis walked back these statements, expressing a desire to try diplomacy before sending in the military, he did not give China a pass on its questionable activities.
He asserted that China has \u201cshredded the trust of nations in the region,\u201d indicating that Chinese actions in the region are still a concern for Washington.
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