Beijing Says Military Installations in S China Sea Not Militarization

A USA defense official also confirmed the “apparent deployment” of the missiles, first reported by Fox News.

Answering questions from reporters in Washington, Kerry said there was “every evidence” that China was increasing militarization in the South China Sea. “It’s of serious concern … we’ve had these conversations with the Chinese, and I’m confident that over the next days we will have further, very serious conversation on this”.

As South-East Asian leaders left a meeting with President Obama in California earlier this week, reports began to emerge of important new Chinese military projects on disputed islands in the South China Sea…

But tensions in the sea-through which a third of the world’s oil passes-have mounted in recent months after China transformed contested reefs in the Spratly islands further south into artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities.

Beijing has controlled all of the Paracels, also claimed by Hanoi and Taipei, since 1974.

Directly regarding the sovereignty of the small islands in the South China Sea, Loesche wrote, “Fears regarding China’s ambitions are fueled by the construction or enhancement of runways and a military buildup in that area”.

Obama said the United States planned to continue such patrols in the name of freedom of navigation.

U.S. Navy Pacific Command’s commander, Admiral Harry Harris, countered Yi’s characterization and said that the missiles “could be an indication of militarization in the South China Sea in ways that…” For China, the use of such weapons could be as a defence strategy rather than an act of militarisation, but the move is still considered a hostile one by disputing nations and by-standers, including Australia and the US.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is unclear whether the deployment is intended for the long-term.

“Western media is lying” he said, urging “foreign press” to instead focus on “China providing public services” in the region.

“Deploying surface-to-air missiles on our territory is completely within the scope of our sovereign rights”, he said. The buildup is seen as part of Beijing’s efforts to claim virtually the entire disputed sea and its resources, which has prompted some of its wary neighbors to draw closer to the U.S.

The satellite imagery taken on 14 February indicates that China deployed two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system from the island.

An influential Chinese state-run tabloid, the Global Times, in an editorial on Friday, described the HQ-9 missiles that are apparently now on Woody Island as “a typical type of defensive weapon”, but warned the People’s Liberation Army might feel compelled to deploy more weapons.