Yet we sanction Russia and do nothing with ChinaSpeaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China's island-building to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Blocking China from islands it has built in contested waters would lead to "devastating confrontation", Chinese state media have warned.
The angry response came after secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said the US should deny Beijing access to new islands in the South China Sea.
Two state-run papers carry editorials strongly criticising his comments.
The hawkish Global Times tabloid warned that any such action would lead to "a large-scale war".
Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs in waters also claimed by other nations. Images published late last year show military defences on some islands, a think-tank says.
Speaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China's island-building to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
China's official response, from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, was muted. China had the right to conduct "normal activities" in its own territory, he said."We're going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."
Asked specifically about the remark on blocking access, he said he would not respond to hypothetical questions.
'Unrealistic fantasies'
But editorials in the China Daily and the Global Times were more direct in their comments.
The China Daily suggested Mr Tillerson's remarks showed ignorance of Sino-US relations and diplomacy in general.
"As many have observed, it would set a course for devastating confrontation between China and the US. After all, how can the US deny China access to its own territories without inviting the latter's legitimate, defensive responses?""Such remarks are not worth taking seriously because they are a mish-mash of naivety, shortsightedness, worn-out prejudices and unrealistic political fantasies," it said.
"Should he act on them in the real world, it would be disastrous.
he Global Times, a nationalist daily, suggested that Mr Tillerson's "astonishing" comments came because "he merely wanted to curry favour from senators and increase his chances of being confirmed by intentionally showing a tough stance toward China".
China would ensure his "rabble rousing" would not succeed, it went on.
"Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish."
The Obama administration has spoken out strongly against the island-building, pledged to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and sending navy ships to sail in contested areas.
But it has not threatened to block access to the islands, a step likely to enrage Beijing.
Mr Tillerson did not explain how the US might block access to the islands, and both Chinese papers suggested a wait-and-see policy.
"It remains to be seen to what extent his views against China will translate into US foreign policies," the China Daily said.
Last edited by anatta; 01-14-2017 at 07:25 PM.
Yet we sanction Russia and do nothing with ChinaSpeaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China's island-building to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Kissinger: “demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy; it is an alibi for the absence of one.”
________
Cold War 2.0 Russia hysteria is turning people’s brains into guacamole.
We’ve got to find a way to snap out of the propaganda trance
________
Buddha: "trust the person who seeks truth and mistrust the person who claims he has found it "
1.2.3.4.5.6.7. All Good Children Go to Heaven
aannd.
There isn't going to be any help in curbing Chinese expansionism. Maybe some from Vietnam or the Philippines -but it's doubtful.
Unlike NATO helping /partnering with the US in eastern Europe..
It's yet another reason for detente with Russia -to make way for the upcoming Asian Pivot that is bound to happen
China is testing the Trump waters lol.
If I had to chose between the two I'd partner with Russia. To whatever extent it can be called a partnership.
Coup has started. First of many steps. Impeachment will follow ultimately~WB attorney Mark Zaid, January 2017
Several nations have made contested claims for those "islands" (in some cases barely shoals).
I think China has a strong claim. Sneaky for sure. But strong. What other nation has as strong a claim?
Problem is, acknowledging Chinese sovereignty over them would expand Chinese oceanic territorial claim substantially, affecting fishing rights, mining / drilling rights, & international navigation in sea and air.
But if the roles were reversed, I'd say our claim was better than any other.
I had a map in there..sorry Imust have edited it out.
What China is doing is building dredge islands - using the new "islands they build to extend the claims out into international waters.
International courts have ruled aganst Chine.
China is putting armaments on the islands, and threatening international shipping.
When US warships transverses the sea lanes China is warning the US it is infringing on it's "territorial waters"
In no way does China have claims all the way down to the red lines you see on the map.
Each nation should have about the same nautical claims - China is using the islands to artificially expand their claims'
and they are indeed claiming mineral/sea rights too.
"What China is doing is building dredge islands - using the new "islands they build to extend the claims out into international waters." #6
Precisely and completely my reasoning for my #5
We should probably find a way to partner/detente with both of them. If it's possible.
Shortly, we'll get to see what kind of deal Trump can strike with them. Maybe use the islands as a bargaining chip. Ok, you can have your little dredge islands [you have to wonder how stable they'd be lol] and we won't hassle you over it if you give up something on trade.
Should be interesting.
Coup has started. First of many steps. Impeachment will follow ultimately~WB attorney Mark Zaid, January 2017
The ambassador to China stated that the message sent publicly should only have been made through private diplomatic channels. Of course trump will replace them all with cronies in about a week.
Our generals have stated any war with China would not go well for the Chinese, their saber rattling is toothless.
China attacks international court after South China Sea ruling
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...a-sea-slapdown
One day after a UN tribunal ruled overwhelmingly against Chinese claims to huge swaths of the strategically important waterway, Beijing rebuffed the verdict, calling it “a piece of paper that is destined to come to naught”.
hat was the ruling in the South China Sea case?
The Hague tribunal overwhelmingly backed the Philippines in a case on the disputed waters of the South China Sea, ruling that rocky outcrops claimed by China - some of which are exposed only at low tide – cannot be used as the basis of territorial claims.
It said some of the waters were “within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, because those areas are not overlapped by any possible entitlement of China”.
The tribunal furthermore found China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in those waters by interfering with its fishing and petroleum exploration and by constructing artificial islands.
Obviously building the islands in the first place was the act of agression....
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