U.S. Issues Warning That China Is Militarising The South China Sea

Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy patrol at Woody Island © Stringer / Reuters

Reuters: U.S. warns China on militarization of South China Sea

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday warned China against "aggressive" actions in the South China Sea region, including the placement of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island.

"China must not pursue militarization in the South China Sea," Carter said in a wide-ranging speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. "Specific actions will have specific consequences."

Asked what the consequences could be, Carter told reporters the U.S. military was already increasing deployments to the Asia-Pacific region and would spend $425 million through 2020 to pay for more exercises and training with countries in the region that were unnerved by China's actions.

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Update #1: Defense chief to Beijing: No 'militarization in the South China Sea' -- The Hill
Update #2: Pentagon chief warns Beijing of ‘specific consequences’ over South China Sea militarization -- RT

WNU Editor: It is beginning .... Philippine officials say China blocked access to disputed South China Sea atoll (Reuters).