<P> The United States itself has not signed UNCLOS, but has accepted all but Part XI as customary international law . </P> <P> In response to Rex Tillerson's comments on blocking access to man - made islands in the South China Sea, the Communist Party - controlled Global Times warned of a "large - scale war" between the U.S. and China, saying: "Unless Washington plans to wage a large - scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish ." </P>

Who supports china in the south china sea and why