Any move by China to fly fighter jets from runways on its new man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea would be destablizing and would not deter U.S. flights over the area, a senior U.S. naval officer said Monday.
Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, also urged Beijing to be more open over its intentions in the South China Sea, saying it would relieve "some of the angst we are now seeing."
"We are unsure where they are taking us," Aucoin said of China's recent moves during briefing with journalists in Singapore.