FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington. The new U.S. administration is heating up rhetoric over the South China Sea with a promise to challenge China’s occupation of disputed islands. Beijing is responding cautiously , appealing for calm and direct negotiations involving claimants. Spicer said “the U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there.” His comments came just weeks after President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, caused some consternation when he told his Senate confirmation hearing that the U.S. should deny China access to its seven man-made islands. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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