Vice President Mike Pence challenged China on Friday by saying the South China Sea doesn’t belong to anyone and that the U.S. will sail and fly wherever international law permits.
“The South China Sea doesn’t belong to any one nation, and you can be sure: The United States will continue to sail and fly wherever international law allows and our national interests demand,” Pence said on Friday, according to Reuters.
The U.S. has angered Beijing by conducting “freedom of navigation” exercises in the South China Sea, which China says threaten its sovereignty.
China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan all have claims in the South China Sea where about $3 billion in trade passes through each year.
In October, Pence brought attention to a more tough approach against China and accused Beijing of “malign” efforts to undermine President Trump and military action in the South China Sea.
On Thursday, Pence told leaders of Southeast Asian nations there was no place for “empire and aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region.
