US warns of capacity to 'blow apart' China's artificial islandsMANILA, Philippines — Following Beijing's deployment of new weapons to its outposts in the South China Sea, a Pentagon official warned that Washington has the capacity to take down these man-made islands. "I would just tell you that the United States military has had a lot of experience in the Western Pacific, taking down small islands," MacKenzie said in a press briefing Thursday. China, meanwhile, accused the United States of "playing up" the militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that US military presence in the region exceeds China's military strength. Earlier this week, the Chinese Ministry of Defense confirmed that it has deployed warships to warn US Navy warships sailing near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Source: Philippine Star June 01, 2018 04:52 UTC