北京運用國力的方式可說前所未有。中國公務船經常在由日本管理的尖閣列島（編按：釣魚台列嶼）附近巡邏。儘管中國領導人2015年在白宮玫瑰花園聲稱中國「無意將南海軍事化」，時至今日，北京在人造島礁的軍事基地，卻部署了先進的反艦和防空飛彈。
Beijing is also using its power like never before. Chinese ships routinely patrol around the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Japan. And while China's leader stood in the Rose Garden at the White House in 2015 and said that his country had, and I quote, "no intention to militarize" the South China Sea, today, Beijing has deployed advanced anti-ship and anti-air missiles atop an archipelago of military bases constructed on artificial islands.
【延伸閱讀】習近平白宮回應南海等敏感問題
中國的侵略性在這個星期表露無遺，一艘中國軍艦（編按：蘭州號）逼近在南海進行自由航行的美國「迪凱特號」驅逐艦，兩艦相距不到45碼（編按：約41公尺），迫使我方軍艦迅速迴避、以免碰撞。儘管遭受這樣魯莽的騷擾，美國海軍將在國際法允許範圍、為了我們的國家利益，繼續飛越、航行和運作。我們不會被嚇倒，我們不會退縮。（掌聲）
China's aggression was on display this week, when a Chinese naval vessel came within 45 yards of the USS Decatur as it conducted freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea, forcing our ship to quickly maneuver to avoid collision. Despite such reckless harassment, the United States Navy will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows and our national interests demand. We will not be intimidated and we will not stand down. (Applause.)
