Ashley Baker
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that Washington had a clear policy on the South China Sea that it was not "China's maritime empire".
"The US policy is clear: The South China Sea is not China's maritime empire. If Beijing violates international law and the free nations do nothing, history shows that China will simply occupy
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke at a press conference at the State Department on July 1 Photo: Reuters.
His comments came weeks after the US announced its rejection of China's claims to resources throughout most of the South China Sea, and called its moves to control them as
Secretary of State Pompeo on July 13 issued a statement reaffirming the US position on the South China Sea claims, emphasizing that China has no legal basis to unilaterally impose its will in the region.
Washington said it was adjusting its position on China's claims in the South China Sea in line with the content of the ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016.
Pompeo said in early June that the US had sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to protest "China's illegal maritime claims in the South China Sea" and consider them "illegal and dangerous."
