National Security Adviser John Bolton again slammed China on Tuesday for escalating tensions in the South China Sea, saying the United States opposes Beijing's "coercive behavior and bullying tactics" in the region.
"China's recent escalation of efforts to intimidate others out of developing resources in the South China Sea is disturbing," Bolton said on Twitter. "The United States stands firmly with those who oppose coercive behavior and bullying tactics which threaten regional peace and security."
Bolton last month attacked Beijing on Twitter amid reports of Chinese interference with oil-and-gas activities in the disputed waters.
China's activities in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in shipborne trade passes each year, are contested, all or in part, by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, according to news reports.
American think tanks have reported Chinese and Vietnamese vessels were engaged in a standoff for weeks near an oil block in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.
Vietnam, which for years has been embroiled in a dispute with China over the potentially energy-rich region, last month accused a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and demanded China remove the ships from Vietnamese waters.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also ripped Beijing for its actions in the region — and China has accused the U.S. of slander and of being among various "external forces" that were wreaking havoc in the South China Sea.
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