“Defense Secretary Ashton Carter bluntly warned China Wednesday to stop its buildup of man-made islands in the South China Sea and vowed that the U.S. military would continue to patrol international waters and airspace in the region,” The Washington Post reports.  

“Last week, China tried to order a U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8A surveillance aircraft to leave an area near the disputed Spratly Islands where China has been turning a reef into an artificial island. The Navy spy plane, which was carrying a CNN news crew on board, ignored multiple Chinese warnings to change its course.”  

“Carter made clear that U.S. warships and planes would continue to patrol the region and ignore China’s attempts to extend its maritime territorial limits. He accused China of raising tensions in an area where the U.S. Navy and Air Force have operated largely unfettered since the end of World War II.”