Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday forcefully called on China to halt all island construction in the South China Sea and said U.S. forces will not be pressured into halting military operations there.
Mr. Carter challenged Chinese pressure for U.S. warships and surveillance aircraft to halt all operations near disputed islands in the strategic waters that China is claiming as its sovereign maritime domain.
"There should be no mistake about this: The United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do all around the world," Mr. Carter said during a change-of-command ceremony at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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