AFP, WASHINGTONThe US military’s top general on Wednesday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reneged on promises not to militarize the South China Sea and called for “collective action” to hold Beijing responsible. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was not calling for military action, but that there was a need to enforce international laws. “The fall of 2016, President Xi Jinping promised [then-US] president [Barack] Obama that they would not militarize the islands. “What is at stake in the South China Sea and elsewhere where there are territorial claims is the rule of law, international laws, norms and standards. “What needs to happen ... is coherent collective action to those who violate international norms and standards.

Source: Taipei Times May 30, 2019 15:56 UTC