Singapore (AFP) – Beijing risks creating a “Great Wall of self-isolation” if it continues its military expansion across the South China Sea, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Saturday.

“China’s actions in the South China Sea are isolating it, at a time when the entire region is coming together and networking,” Carter told a high-profile security summit in Singapore.

“Unfortunately, if these actions continue, China could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation.”