The United States needs to brush up on its history about the South China Sea, as World War Two-related agreements mandated that all Chinese territories taken by Japan had to be returned to China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Australia.
China has been upset by previous comments from the new U.S. administration about the disputed waterway.
In his Senate confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built there. The White House also vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway.
However, last week U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis suggested that diplomacy should be the priority in the South China Sea.
