Tillerson says US must deny China access to disputed isles

Tokyo

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state said China must be denied access to artificial islands built in the South China Sea, a move that would raise the risk of conflict between the world's biggest economies.

Hours into a confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was grilled extensively about his views on Russia, former Exxon Mobil Corp chief Rex Tillerson said that a failure to respond to China's actions had allowed it to "keep pushing the envelope" in the South China Sea.