Washington, July 15 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely 'unlawful'.

"The United States champions a free and open Indo-Pacific. Today we are strengthening U.S. policy in a vital, contentious part of that region - the South China Sea," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," he said.

Voice of America/Wikipedia

"We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order," he said.

So far, the US had opposed Chin...