Photo: ReutersThe Pentagon said on Tuesday a recent Chinese missile launch in the disputed South China Sea was "disturbing" and contrary to Chinese pledges that it would not militarise the disputed waterway. The South China Sea is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the United States-China relationship, which include a trade war, US sanctions and Taiwan. "Of course the Pentagon was aware of the Chinese missile launch from the man-made structures in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands," Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said. China's claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. News of the China missile test was first reported by NBC News.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 03, 2019 02:15 UTC