US President Barack Obama has issued a gag order on the military leadership over China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea saying Washington's ongoing negotiations with Beijing on a wide range of issues are being hampered by heated rhetoric from military officials.

Washington reportedly placed the gag order on military officials before the start of the nuclear security summit last week which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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US Pacific Command chief Navy Admiral Harry Harris has been the most vocal among the military hierarchy against China's activities in the disputed South China Sea. But, according to the Navy Times, President Obama has directed him to not talk about China, preferring the tactic of negotiations and dialogue over actions.

Gag order

The gag order was reportedly put in place for President Obama to be able to negotiate with Chinese President Xi privately on a range of important issues without being disrupted by his military officials' media statements and interviews.

Harris allegedly wanted a direct confrontation with China, but President Obama has repeatedly turned down his proposals opting for a more diplomatic and peaceful tack in dealing with Beijing.

Harris is reported to have proposed an all-out military operation with ships and aircraft near Beijing's artificial islands in the South China Sea to prevent possible Chinese expansion of the islands that may encroach within the territorial waters of the Philippines.

Aggressive plans

Harris's  and the other officials' aggressive plans against China  do not sit well with Obama and White House officials who are desperately trying to take the diplomatic route and negotiate with Beijing.

The US military leadership's heated statements about China in the media are disrupting the process of negotiations the Obama administration is currently conducting with Beijing.

"They want to get out of office with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of cooperation with China," retired Navy captain Jerry Hendrix told Navy Times.

Amid the gag order, military officials have defended Harris's statements against China's aggressive posturing in the South China Sea saying these were in direct response to Beijing's continuous building of artificial islands and misleading the people and the media by declaring that the islands were purely for civilian purposes.

The officials said China has since militarized the islands and has branded the US freedom of navigation exercises in the disputed South China Sea as "violations of Chinese sovereignty." . 

Tagsgag order, US military officials, Navy Admiral Harry Harris, Beijing, President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi jinping, Washington, china