China is on the brink of war with the United States as the US Pacific fleet is now ready and prepared to confront Chinese forces should it continue its overreaching maritime claims in the South China Sea, head of the US Pacific fleet said on Wednesday (Dec 14).
The US has called on China to respect arbitration court decision in The Hague earlier this year which nullified its vast territorial claims in the strategic waterway.
China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea through which about US$5 trillion (S$7.1 trillion) in ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also has claims.
In a speech in Sydney, Australia of US Pacific fleet commander Harry Harris, he said that China always act aggressively and keeps on showing in a “forceful” way but Washington stands prepared and ready to react.
Harris said, “We will not allow a shared domain to be closed down unilaterally no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea and we will cooperate when we can but we will be ready to confront when we must.”
“The US fought its first war following our independence to ensure freedom of navigation,” said Admiral Harris. “This is an enduring principle and one of the reasons our forces stand ready to fight tonight,” He added. – JCE.
