The US will not accept China’s militarisation of man-made islands in the South China Sea, Defence Secretary James Mattis has warned.
Speaking at a security conference in Singapore, he said such moves undermined regional stability.
China’s territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea are contested by several nations.
At the same time, Gen Mattis praised Beijing’s efforts to restrain North Korea’s missile and nuclear activity.
His comments came shortly after the UN Security Council expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea in response to a series of missile tests conducted this year.
The council voted unanimously to back the sanctions after weeks of negotiations between the US and China.
In his speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue forum, Gen Mattis said: “We oppose countries militarising artificial islands and enforcing excessive maritime claims.
“We cannot and will not accept unilateral, coercive changes to the status quo.”
President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have repeatedly stated that they would protect its interests in the South China Sea, a key shipping route.
During his nomination hearing earlier this year, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that the US was “going to have to send China a clear signal that first the island-building stops, and second your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”
In response, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would “remain firm to defend its rights in the region”.
