South China Sea Dispute: US Military Will Continue Operations in Region
2016-02-18 08:42:34 source：The Guardian
Feburary 17, 2016
"The US military will continue to 'fly, sail and operate' anywhere that international law allows, Barack Obama's spokesman said on Wednesday, responding to reports of China’s deployment of surface-to-air missile launchers on a disputed island in the South China Sea.
Beijing's provocative move threatens to heighten tensions with the US and its regional allies in a critical shipping route. Images taken by the private company ImageSat International appear to show that two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system were deployed to Woody Island in the past week.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he has seen the reports and some of the commercial images but did not provide independent verification. Despite fears of military escalation, he made clear that the US would continue to make its presence felt in the region."
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