US Officially Rejects Beijing’s Claims in South China Sea

On July 13, the Trump administration dialed up its response to threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and formally rejected nearly all of Beijing’s major territorial claims in the South China Sea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement: “Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.”