At first, Beijing was quiet after US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson said that China should be blocked from the islands it created to host new military bases in the South China Sea.  That changed.

The Global Times, a ruling Communist Party-run tabloid that typically takes a belligerent tone, ran an English-language editorial saying the United States would have to "wage a large-scale war" in the South China sea to prevent Chinese access to the islands.  "Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories," read the editorial.

Tillerson made his comments in his confirmation hearings before the US Senate, and the editorial suggested that he took a tough stance to curry favor from Senate hawks.  The issue of China's bases has largely flown under the radar in Washington prior to Tillerson's hearing:  "We're going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island building stops," Tillerson said, "And second, your access to those islands is not going to be allowed."

China constructed military bases on reclaimed reefs and rocks in the South China Sea in waters claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  It's believed the region is energy-rich (no doubt why Tillerson, the former Exxon CEO, is also interested), and $5 Trillion in trade flows through every year.