3 hours ago
BBC
China has deployed
surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, Taiwan
says.
Satellite images taken
on 14 February appear to show two batteries of eight missile launchers and a
radar system on Woody or Yongxing Island in the Paracels.
The presence of
missiles would significantly increase tensions in the acrimonious South China
Sea dispute.
China's Foreign
Minister Wang Yi said reports were a Western media invention.
But Mr Wang defended
"the limited and necessary self-defence facilities" on islands
inhabited by Chinese personnel as "consistent with the right for
self-preservation and self-protection.... under the international law".
Asked about the
reports, US Secretary of State John Kerry attacked China's increased
"militarisation" of the contested region, saying it was a
"serious concern".
Woody Island is the
largest in the Paracel archipelago, inhabited by at least 1,000 people, mostly
soldiers, construction workers and fishermen
In 1956, China
established a permanent presence on the island, which it calls Yongxing
In 2012, China
established Sansha city local government office on the island to administer the
whole South China Sea area
There is also a
military garrison, a hospital, a library, an airport, a school and mobile phone
coverage
The island is claimed
by China, Taiwan and Vietnam
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Taiwan's defence
ministry said it had "learned of an air defence missile system
deployed" by the Chinese on Woody Island.
It would not say how
many missiles had been deployed or when, but told the BBC they would be capable
of targeting civilian and military aircraft.
The commander of the
US Pacific Fleet confirmed the deployment to Reuters news agency.
Adm Harry Harris said
such a move would be "a militarisation of the South China Sea in
ways" China's President Xi Jinping had pledged not to make.
Japan's Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yoshihide Suga said there were "serious concerns" over
China's "unilateral move to change the status quo" in the region, and
"we cannot accept this fact".
China has been
carrying out extensive land reclamation work in the region, which it says is
legal and for civilian purposes.
But the work has
angered other countries which also claim the territory, and there is growing
concern about the implications of the area becoming militarised.
The latest images of
Woody Island were captured by ImageSat International.
They show a close-up
of a section of beach, the shape of which resembles the northern coastline as
it appears on other images, and point out two missiles batteries. Each battery
is made up of four launchers and two control vehicles.
Two of the the
launchers appear to have been erected, says the report.
An image taken of the
site on 3 February shows the beach empty.
Fox News quoted a US
defence official as saying the missiles appeared to be the HQ-9 air defence
system, with a range of about 200km (125 miles).
China's deployment of
long-range surface-to-air missiles to the South China Sea is a clear
escalation, but it is not a surprise.
Nor is it China's
first deployment of advanced military technology to Woody Island (Yongxing Dao).
Last November, photos appeared on the internet of Chinese J-11 fighter jets
landing on the newly-enlarged runway there.
Sending the missile
batteries now could be a warning to Vietnam, or a response to the US Navy,
which sailed a missile destroyer past Woody Island at the end of January.
So far Beijing has
been careful not to put any weapons on its newly-constructed islands further
south, in the Spratly group. That would be much more provocative.
Last month Beijing
even sent two civilian airliners to land on its newly-completed runway at Fiery
Cross Reef.
It was a good
publicity stunt. But no one should be in any doubt that the true purpose of
those new islands and their new runways is also military.
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The news comes as
South East Asian regional leaders end a two-day meeting in California where
South China Sea had been a topic of debate.
US President Barack
Obama said the members had discussed the need for "tangible steps" to
reduce tensions, including "a halt to further reclamation, new construction
and militarization of disputed areas".
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What is the South
China Sea dispute?
Rival countries have
wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has
steadily increased in recent years.
Its islets and waters
are claimed in part or in whole by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines,
Malaysia and Brunei.
China has backed its
expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols, while the US says it
opposes restrictions on freedom of navigation and unlawful sovereignty claims -
by all sides, but seen by many as aimed at China.
The frictions have
sparked concern that the area is becoming a flashpoint with global
consequences.
Although largely
uninhabited, the Paracels and the Spratlys may have reserves of natural
resources around them. There has been little detailed exploration of the area,
so estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring
areas.
The sea is also a
major shipping route and home to fishing grounds that supply the livelihoods of
people across the region.
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