Jan 23, 2017 - Politics & Policy

White House warns China against actions in South China Sea

Bullit Marquez / AP

Here's White House spokesman Sean Spicer today when asked about how the U.S. would deal with Chinese claims in the South China Sea:

Areas in the South China Sea that are part of international waters and international territories, I think the U.S. is going to make sure we protect our interests there. So, it's a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper than yeah we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country.

Why this matters: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof:

For more details on the issue see the Axios Facts Matter on the South China Sea.

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Axios
Updated 23 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 18,814,178 — Total deaths: 707,754— Total recoveries — 11,361,953 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 4,823,891 — Total deaths: 158,256 — Total recoveries: 1,577,851 — Total tests: 58,920,975 — Map.
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  4. Business: America's next housing crisis.
  5. States: Virginia launches contact tracing app using specs from Apple and Google.
  6. Cities: L.A. mayor authorizes utilities shut-off at homes hosting large gatherings
  7. Politics: White House, Democrats remain "trillions of dollars apart" on stimulus talks.
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Hiroshima's Mayor Kazumi Matsui on Thursday urged the international community to work together to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and warned against an increase in "self-centered nationalism," per the Washington Post.

Why it matters: He said at a remembrance service on the atomic bombing of the Japanese city that the 1918 flu pandemic killed millions as countries fighting in World War I were unable to overcome the threat together, per DPR. "A subsequent upsurge in nationalism led to World War II," he added. The U.S. bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 and Nagasaki three days later contributed to the end of World War II, but tens of thousands of people died. At the service, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lamented nuclear weapons' "inhumanity," but he didn't mention Japan's wartime past, WashPost noted.

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