Trump nominee Tillerson says China will be denied access to South China Sea islands
In an apparent toughening of the U.S.’s stance on the South China Sea, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State said China must be denied access to artificial islands built in the disputed waters. Hours into a confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was grilled extensively about his views on Russia, former Exxon Mobil Corp. chief Rex Tillerson said that a failure to respond to China’s actions had allowed it to "keep pushing the envelope" in the South China Sea. "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that first the island-building stops and second your access to those islands is also not going to be allowed," he said when asked whether he would support a more aggressive posture in the South China Sea. He compared China’s actions to those of Russia in the Crimea. China claims more than 80 percent of the South China Sea, where it has constructed artificial land features on seven rocks and reefs, and installed military f...
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