China has hit back at the US for criticizing its new military garrison in the South China Sea. The Sansha base was created just two weeks ago on Chinese territory. But it's in an area where competing territorial claims pit Beijing against the Philippines and Vietnam, among others. China set up the outpost to administer thousands of square miles of water it says are within its sovereignty. But Washington believes it's an attempt to occupy the entire South China Sea, which is rich in oil resources. The US has tens of thousands of military personnel in Asia-Pacific, and views itself as a stabilizing influence in the region. But Conn Hallinan, a senior analyst at Foreign Policy in Focus, believes regional tensions could escalate into an even wider conflict.

RT LIVE

Subscribe to RT!

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Google+

RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.