Water Wars: Rediscovering the Status Quo in the South China Sea

Feb 17, 2017 | Jared Dummitt and Eliot Kim
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China continued to react critically to the Trump administration’s emerging position on the South China Sea.  Responding to a joint statement by President Trump and Prime Minister Abe that confirmed American support for Japanese administration of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that “Diaoyu [Island] and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territory. . . We are firmly against Japan's attempt to try to gain the US support for its illegal territorial claims in the name of the so-called mutual defense treaty.” This exchange echoed a similar statement from last week.