China Claims Sovereignty Over South China Sea Island

In Hanoi, the foreign ministry said it has handed a protest note to China’s embassy and asked Beijing not to repeat the action.

Beijing, however, denies the island building is aimed at boosting its military might, and Hua Chunying, foreign ministry spokeswoman, reiterated China’s position that it had “indisputable sovereignty” to the Spratlys, which are called the Nansha Islands in China.

Beijing has rejected a protest from Vietnam after a Chinese airplane landed on a contested reef in the South China Sea, saying the operation took place within Chinese territory.

China has defended conducting a test flight on a newly built airfield on reclaimed land in disputed waters in the South China Sea after objections from Vietnam.

The airfield on Fiery Cross Reef will serve to “significantly” cut travel time between the Spratly islands and mainland China, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a top engineer from the transport ministry.

China has been building runways on the artificial islands for over a year, and the plane’s landing was not a surprise. Relevant activity falls completely within China’s sovereignty. “We have made this case clear repeatedly, and we will continue to make it”, Kirby added.

While China is not the only country to have an airstrip in the disputed waters, it’s the only country to have one capable of handling a bomber. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) visited Hanoi in November past year, but that visit also saw anti-Chinese protests. Ties between Vietnam and China have been strained over disputes in the South China Sea.

Besides Kagitingan, China built artificial islands on Calderon (Cuarteron), Burgos (Gaven), Mabini (Johnson South), Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi) and McKennan (Hughes) reefs, all claimed by the Philippines and within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone recognized under Unclos.

China confirmed Saturday that it had flown an aircraft to a Spratly Islands airfield in what may have been a bid to solidify Beijing’s grip on the military, heightening frictions with Vietnam over the disputed archipelago.

Moreover, by encouraging other claimants in the South China Sea, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, to take a more aggressive stance, the USA is unleashing forces over which it has no control.