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| Pentagon will ‘compete vigorously’ with Beijing in South China Sea – Mattis | Pentagon will ‘compete vigorously’ with Beijing in South China Sea – Mattis |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has claimed that since Beijing’s South China Sea policy contradicts Washington’s strategy of “openness,” the US will have to “compete vigorously” wherever cooperation is impossible. | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has claimed that since Beijing’s South China Sea policy contradicts Washington’s strategy of “openness,” the US will have to “compete vigorously” wherever cooperation is impossible. |
| “The US will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperating when possible and competing vigorously where we must...,” Mattis stated, speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. | “The US will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperating when possible and competing vigorously where we must...,” Mattis stated, speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. |
| Memo to China: US has ‘experience taking down small islands,’ Pentagon bigwig says | |
| “China's policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promises, it calls into question China's broader goals,” the US Defense Secretary added. | “China's policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promises, it calls into question China's broader goals,” the US Defense Secretary added. |
| The US has for years agitated China by claiming a “freedom of navigation,” sailing its warships and conducting flights near the disputed areas of the South China Sea. Beijing has repeatedly condemned the maneuvers, calling them a “provocation” and an infringement on China’s sovereignty. | |
| READ MORE: US warships sail near disputed South China Sea islands | |
| To reinforce its claims, Beijing has been building artificial islands and deploying military infrastructure on the Paracels, as well as on the Spratly Islands. In May, its strategic bombers practiced take-off and landing in the disputed area. | |
| “Despite China's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purpose of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis claimed. | |
| DETAILS TO FOLLOW | DETAILS TO FOLLOW |