HANOI, Vietnam—U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Nov. 20 accused China of using coercion and intimidation against smaller Asian nations to impose its will in the South China Sea. He urged Vietnam and others in the region to push back.
“We will not accept attempts to assert unlawful maritime claims at the expense of law-abiding nations,” Esper said in a speech to the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, a government university.
