SINGAPORE: China’s military build-up in the South China Sea and its deployment of high-end weapons systems in the disputed waterway is designed to intimidate and coerce neighbours, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday. Mattis said Beijing had deployed a range of military hardware including anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jammers across the South China Sea, where it has built islets and other maritime features into hardened military facilities. He also blasted Chinese President Xi Jinping for reneging on a 2015 promise made at the White House that Beijing would not militarise the island features in the South China Sea. Despite frequent warnings from Washington about China’s rising might and the pitfalls of its “Belt and Road” global infrastructure initiative, Beijing has faced few consequences for its South China Sea build-up and sweeping territorial claims. “On the Korean peninsula, we hold the line with our allies, supporting our diplomats who lead this effort,” Mattis said.

Source: New Strait Times June 02, 2018 03:00 UTC