Goodbye honest broker, hello anti-submarine warrior in the South China Sea

Assistant Secretary of State Danny Russel spoke at the CSIS South China Sea Conference on July 21, 2015. He made news by declaring that the United States is not neutral in some issues pertaining to the South China Sea.

The money quote came in reply to a question from Wu Shicun, the PRC representative at the conference:

On the first issue of neutrality, I appreciate the opportunity to clear up what seems to be an almost ineradicable perception of the Chinese. We are not neutral when it comes to adherence to international law. We will come down forcefully on the side of the rules.

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