WASHINGTON — The Trump White House said on Monday that the United States would prevent China from taking over international waters in the South China Sea.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer made the comment during a press briefing, just days after Trump took office on Friday, Reuters reported.


“The U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interest there,” Spicer said when asked if the administration agrees with Secretary of State Tillerson’s comments on Jan. 11 that China should not be allowed access to its artificial islands in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

“It’s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,” he said.

No doubt these latest remarks will cause the Chinese state propaganda machine to rattle the old saber once again.

Is this really the dawn of a new day in the world’s most disputed waters? Or is this the beginning of the world’s biggest hot air-blowing contest?