U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said his government will not recognize the 12 nautical mile boundary of Chinese artificial islands that are reclaimed from reefs in the South China Sea.
“Spratly Islands-CIA WFB Map“. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
“The 12 nautical miles that I think you’re referring to does not pertain to features that were submerged and now are no longer submerged,” Carter said.