The Heat discusses US-China tensions over South China Sea

The Heat

Rising tensions between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea have some military experts worried the situation could become volatile. The United States said it has every right to fly surveillance flights over what it says are international waters.

China said it has every right to build artificial islands on land and reefs that it rightly controls. Amid these tensions, Beijing released its first defense white paper this week, outlining China’s military strategy. It said Beijing will not attack unprompted but “will surely counterattack if attacked.”

Joining us with the latest is our correspondent from Washington,Roee Ruttenberg, our Beijing correspondent, Han Bin.

Follow Roee Ruttenberg on Twitter @RoeeRuttenberg

CCTV America’s Nathan King interviewed a panel of experts for the Heat concerning escalated tensions over the South China Sea:

  • Jia Xiudong is a senior research fellow at China Institute of International Studies.
  • Michael O’Hanlon is a director of research for the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution.
  • Joseph Gerson is the disarmament coordinator at the American Friends Service Committee.

Our panel discussion continued with more on Beijing’s release of its defense white paper.