White House says U.S. will defend int’l territories in S. China Sea

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WASHINGTON—The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said it would “defend international waters” in the South China Sea to counter Beijing’s island construction and military buildup in contested parts of the waterway.

“I think areas in the South China Sea that are part of international waters and international activities, I think the U.

S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said at a news briefing.

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