China, in his words · 2016 campaign · № 27
Said China built a South China Sea 'military fortress' with money from U.S. trade
“I mean look at what China's doing in the South China Sea. I mean they are totally disregarding our country and yet we have made China a rich country because of our bad trade deals. ... we have rebuilt China and yet they will go in the South China Sea and build a military fortress the likes of which perhaps the world has not seen.”
- Said
- , Telephone interview with The New York Times (Maggie Haberman and David Sanger)
- Subject
- South China Sea fortress
- Threat
- Economic and military
- Topic
- Veterans & military
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What the record showed
Asked in the same interview how he would deter the island-building, he said he would 'use trade to negotiate.' CNBC reported on May 2, 2018, citing sources with knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports, that China had deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on three Spratly Islands outposts. In March 2022 Adm. John Aquilino, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told the Associated Press that China had fully militarized at least three of its artificial islands, arming them with missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets.