China hits back at US over South China Sea claims

China has asserted its "indisputable sovereignty" over
 parts of the South China Sea after the Trump 
administration vowed to prevent China from taking
 territory in the region.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would
 "remain firm to defend its rights in the region".

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday
 the US would "make sure we protect our interests there".

Barack Obama's administration refused to take sides
 in the dispute.

It did, however, send B-52 bombers and a naval destroyer
 last year, and the then US Secretary of State John
 Kerry spoke out over what he called "an increase of militarisation from one kind or another" in the region.

Several nations claim territory in the resource-rich South
 China Sea, which is also an important shipping route.

The new US president has taken a tough stance against
 China, and Mr Spicer told reporters "the US is going to 
make sure we protect our interests" in the South China Sea.

"If those islands are, in fact, in international waters and 
not part of China proper, yeah, we'll make sure we defend international interests from being taken over by another country," he said, without giving further details.

The Chinese government responded by saying that the US was "not a party to the South China Sea issue".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China
 was "committed to peaceful negotiations with all countries concerned" in the dispute, and said it "respects the principles of freedom of navigation and over-flight in international waters".

But, she went on: "Our position is clear. Our actions have
 been lawful."

Mr Spicer's comments echo those of Donald Trump's new
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

During his nomination hearing, Mr Tillerson said the US
 should block access to islands being built by China in the South China Sea, likening it to Russia's annexation of
 Crimea from Ukraine.

"We're 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," he told the US
 Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Chinese state media responded by warning that such actions would lead to a "devastating confrontation".

Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South 
China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily 
increased in recent years.

Its islets and waters are claimed in part or in whole by 
Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and
 Brunei.

Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs and carrying out naval patrols in waters also claimed by these other nations.

Although the Obama administration insisted it was neutral,
 it spoke out strongly against the island-building and
 sought to build ties with, and among, the South East 
Asian nations whose claims overlap those of China.

In July an international tribunal ruled against Chinese 
claims, backing a case brought by the Philippines, but
 Beijing said it would not respect the verdict.

The frictions have sparked concern that the area is
 becoming a flashpoint with global consequences.