China escalated its war of words against the incoming Trump administration Friday, declaring in state media that Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson's warning over Beijing's military buildup in the South China Sea could signal the first shots of "a military clash." Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish." Blocking Chinese access to the islands "could spark armed conflict," said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. An estimated $5 trillion of trade passes through the South China Sea each year. After Trump suggested raising fees for Chinese imports in November, China threatened to slash the shipments, potentially leaving Americans without new iPhones.

Source: Fox News January 13, 2017 14:06 UTC