The US Secretary of Defense yesterday expressed concern over the scale and speed of land reclamation activities in the South China Sea.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Photo: AP

"The United States, along with most other nations in the region, is deeply concerned about the speed and scale of land reclamation activities in the South China Sea," AFP quoted US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as saying at a defense forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

Mr. Carter added that he was very concerned about the risk of militarization in the region and that such actions would increase the likelihood of miscalculations or conflict between parties involved in territorial disputes.

On November 5th, Mr. Carter boarded the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, more than a week after the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen challenged China's claims of sovereignty over islands it has illegally built in Vietnam's Spratly Islands.

Beijing criticized Washington over the patrol, while the Chinese navy commander warned that a minor incident could trigger war in the South China Sea if the US does not stop its "provocative actions."

The U.S. Navy plans to patrol within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter, to remind China and other countries of America's rights under international law, a defense official said earlier this week.

According to VNE