Washington Free Beacon: Pentagon Warns of Conflict Over Chinese Buildup on Disputed Island
Beijing asserts Scarborough Shoal is Chinese territory.
China’s plans to build up a disputed island near the Philippines could lead to a regional conflict, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Congress on Thursday.
Carter was asked about the strategic significance of China’s plan to add military facilities to a disputed island known as Scarborough Shoal located about 120 miles—within missile range—of Subic Bay, Philippines, where U.S. warships will be based.
The defense secretary said Scarborough is “a piece of disputed territory that, like other disputes in that region, has the potential to lead to military conflict.”
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WNU Editor: Some in the U.S. Senate are pushing for a more robust U.S. response .... McCain to SECDEF Carter: U.S. South China Sea Presence Operations Should Be ‘Magnified’ Not ‘Classified’ (USNI News).