U.S. issued unprecedented demand to China on missiles in South China Sea

Special to WorldTribune.com

By Geostrategy-Direct

The Trump administration for the first time is demanding that China remove all anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles that are deployed on disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The demand was made public in a fact sheet distributed by the U.S. State Department earlier this month. The fact sheet outlined the results of a strategic dialogue between senior U.S. and Chinese officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi at State Department in Washington on Nov. 9. / AP

“The United States called on China to withdraw its missile systems from disputed features in the Spratly Islands, and reaffirmed that all countries should avoid addressing disputes through coercion or intimidation,” the State Department said in the statement cited by security correspondent Bill Gertz.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis led a U.S. delegation on Nov. 8 that met with a Chinese delegation headed by Communist Party Politburo official and State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe.

The issue of removing the missiles was not mentioned during a post-talks press conference.

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