The Trump administration on Monday rejected nearly all of China’s claims in the South China Sea – wading into one of the most sensitive regional issues in Asia and further escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing. The administration presented the decision as an attempt to curb China’s increasing assertiveness in the region with a commitment to recognizing international law. “Today we are strengthening U.S. policy in a vital, contentious part of that region -- the South China Sea,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press release. But in a statement released Monday, Pompeo said the U.S. now regards virtually all Chinese maritime claims outside its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate. Last week, China angrily complained about the U.S. flexing its military muscle in the South China Sea by conducting joint exercises with two U.S. aircraft carrier groups in the strategic waterway.

Source: Fox News July 13, 2020 20:48 UTC