The White House on Monday said the US would protect its interests in international waters in the South China Sea, but refused to say whether it would attempt to block China from accessing islands in the disputed maritime area.
Rex Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief executive nominated by Donald Trump for secretary of state, angered China this month by declaring that the US would attempt to prevent China from accessing the islands in the South China Sea where it has been building runways and other facilities that have potential military use.
In his first press conference, Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, said the US would prevent China from taking over any islands located in international waters in the South China Sea.
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