Beijing fires back at `hype’ on island missiles

China has apparently deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, escalating regional tensions with China’s neighbors and the United States.

Vietnam protested with China and the United Nations on Friday, saying it was “deeply concerned” over Beijing’s suspected deployment of surface-to-air missiles to an island in the South China Sea.

According to the images, a beach on the island was empty on February 3, but the missiles were visible by February 14.

“We urge all claimants in the South China Sea to refrain from any building of islands, any militarisation of islands, any land reclamation”, Turnbull said in a joint press conference with his New Zealand counterpart John Key in Sydney.

“There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarisation from one kind or another”.

“It’s of a serious concern”, he added.

China’s actions in the South China Sea have becoming a source of tension with Washington.

“China’s move of setting up limited, necessary and self-defense facilities on the islands and reefs where Chinese troops are stationed is in line with the right of self-defense endowed by global law to any sovereign state”, Wang said, “Therefore there is nothing wrong with it”.

It says it conducts such “freedom of navigation” operations to ensure access to key shipping and air routes.

Earlier a USA official said it was unclear whether the deployment is intended for the long-term. China seized several islands from South Vietnam in a brief, bloody battle toward the end of the Vietnam War. Experts said they could be used to target enemy aircraft.

Called Yongxingdao by China, Woody Island has an artificial harbor, an airport, roads, army posts and other buildings.

He was responding to a journalist who asked for New Delhi’s reaction to reports about China deploying the missiles in one of the disputed Paracel Islands.

Tsai Ing-Wen, Taiwan’s recently elected president, said on Wednesday the move had created a “tense situation”, but Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said the reports were being exaggerated by Western media outlets.

“President Xi is right in identifying avoiding that trap as a key goal”, he said.

Its islets and waters are claimed in part or in whole by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Taiwan President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said tensions are now higher in the region.

A USA official said the missiles, which arrived on Woody Island in the past week, appeared to be HQ-9s, which have a range of 200km.