China Warns Of “Large-Scale War” With US

Since the election of Donald Trump, tensions with China have been on the rise. In addition to dispatching a nuclear bomber on provocative maneuvers in reaction to statements made by Trump, the Asian superpower has captured an American drone flying over the South China Sea. As if these aggressive moves weren’t enough, Chinese state-run media warn that America may wade into a major conflict with the country if it tries to stand up to it:

The United States has been officially warned of a potential “large-scale war” if it blocks China from accessing the islands it’s been building in the South China Sea.

Two Chinese state-run media sites ran harsh criticisms overnight in response to remarks made by prospective U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday.

That was when Tillerson told U.S. senators that he would seek to deny Beijing access to its artificial islands. The man-made archipelago in question appears to house anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems.

The former Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) CEO justified his suggestion by comparing China‘s actions in the region to that of Russia’s in Crimea.

These statements did not bode well with the media in Beijing…

“China’s Global Times warned overnight that any intervention from the U.S. in the South China Sea would lead to “a large-scale war.”

“Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish,” the media site claimed in an editorial.

The state-run newspaper China Daily focused its attention more on Tillerson himself, suggesting that his remarks showed ignorance of Sino-U.S. relations and diplomacy in general. “Such remarks are not worth taking seriously because they are a mish-mash of naivety, shortsightedness, worn-out prejudices, and unrealistic political fantasies,” it wrote.

China’s official response, however, from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang was a bit more muted. He simply said that China had the right to conduct “normal activities” in its own territory.”

Source: Money Morning