China responds to the US: We will protect our 'irrefutable' sovereignty in the South China Sea

When will the Australian Government learn that we are better off making money from China rather than trying to bully them about their territorial claims that do not involve Australia or the US.

A war with China over the South China Sea would devastate Australia's economy. We will be living in the stone age without trade with China.


http://www.*.com/china-responds-to-...overignity-in-the-south-china-sea-2017-1?IR=T

BEIJING/WASHINGTON — China said on Tuesday it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after the White House vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer in his comments on Monday signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious U.S. handling of China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia.
"The U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there," Spicer said when asked if President Donald Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. On Jan. 11, Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested 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," Spicer said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Tuesday, "The United States is not a party to the South China Sea dispute."
China claims most of the South China Sea, while Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei claim parts of the sea that command strategic sea lanes and have rich fishing grounds along with oil and gas deposits.
China's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was "irrefutable," Hua said. But China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution.