South China Sea dispute: Chinaࢀ™s pursuit of resources ࢀ˜unlawfulࢀ™, says US

China’s pursuit of offshore resources in parts of the South China Sea is “completely unlawful”, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. Mr Pompeo said he wanted to make clear that Beijing’s “campaign of bullying to control” the disputed waters was wrong. China claims a large part of the region, and has been building military bases on artificial islands there. But Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have overlapping claims to the islands and reefs. The countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years. Beijing claims…