China gearing up for East Asia dominance: US commander

Fewer than 10 jets – a combination of Shenyan J-11 and Xian JH-7 aircraft – have been spotted on Woody Island in the Paracel chain in the South China Sea, officials in Washington late Tuesday told reporters on the condition they not be named.

Over the past week or so China has been reported to have deployed advanced missiles, fighters and radar equipment on islands in the South China Sea, especially on Woody Island in the Paracels.

On Thursday, the United States accused China of raising tensions by its apparent deployment of surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island.

“If they were truly concerned, if they truly interested, I believe China would and should intervene with North Korea and convince them to quit their cycle of provocation”, Harris added.

China would like to have dialogue with the United States on the South China Sea to avoid misjudgement, he said.

He also suggested sanctions against Chinese companies involved in China’s reclamation work in the South China Sea, as well as an Asian Reassurance Initiative similar to the European Reassurance Initiative the Pentagon has to deter Russian Federation.

Wang said that the “South China Sea issue is not and should not become an issue between China and the United States” and that it should be resolved directly between the regional parties.

China has long claimed that its development of artificial islands was for civilian purposes, including weather observation, prompting Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop to ask Beijing if other countries could have access to the facilities.

The Philippines calls Cuarteron the Calderon Reef as part of the Kalayaan islands off the island province of Palawan in the South China Sea which it claims as it owns.

The world’s two largest economies work together on issues like Iran’s nuclear program, the civil war in Syria and climate change, even as they clash over cybertheft, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, missile defense in South Korea and how to handle contested stretches of ocean in Asia.

Last week, China confirmed it had placed “weapons” on Woody Island, defending what it said was its sovereign right to do so.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday for talks expected to focus on ironing out differences over how strongly to sanction North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests.

Earnest’s remarks came in response to Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying who yesterday said China was doing in the South China Sea what the U.S. does in Hawaii. He is calling for the U.S.to step up freedom of navigation operations in the region.

Images of other small reefs nearby which China has transformed into artificial islands-Gaven, Hughes, and Johnson South-revealed other features identified by CSIS as possible radar towers, gun emplacements, bunkers, helipads, and quays.

“Someone turned a blind eye to the US behavior, but criticized China’s legitimate islands construction over and over again”.

In a poke at recent USA freedom of navigation operations in the region, Wang said China does not want to see, “more close-up military reconnaissance, or the dispatch of missile destroyers or strategic bombers to the South China Sea”.