The United States “is not going to back down” in asserting its rights to freedom of navigation, freedom of flight and use of space in the face of China’s “increasing assertiveness and aggressiveness,” National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said on Friday at an online event at The Atlantic Council. The U.S. rejects China’s attempts to annex a vast swath of the Pacific Ocean, he said. This week, China first conducted military exercises and test-fired anti-ship missiles in an effort to ward off U.S. operations in the South China Sea, and then pushed back against U.S. Air Force U-2 overflights in … Continue reading National Security Advisor O’Brien Affirms U.S. Will Maintain Pressure on China