United States Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday assured key ally Australia there would be no retreat from Washington's pivot to the Asia-Pacific region regardless of who wins November's presidential election. China claims most of the South China Sea, which is rich in energy and fishing resources. Biden insisted that the U.S. military would continue to underpin freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, regardless of which party controls the White House from 2017. "The United States has kept and will keep a laser focus on the future in the Asia-Pacific," he said. Tensions between the United States and China have been rising in recent months over the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in trade passes every year.

Source: Thanhnien News July 20, 2016 03:56 UTC