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Beijing steps up defence of disputed South China Sea
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China has outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach and held a groundbreaking ceremony for two lighthouses in disputed waters, developments likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing’s maritime ambitions.
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In a policy document issued by the State Council, the country’s cabinet, China vowed to increase its “open seas protection”, switching from air defence to both offence and defence, and criticised neighbours who take “provocative actions” on its reefs and islands.
China has been taking an increasingly assertive posture over the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where Beijing has engaged in land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago. Last week it criticised Washington after a US spy plane flew over areas near the reefs.
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It has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5tn (£3.25tn) in ship-borne trade passes every year.
The defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said China’s reclamation in the Spratlys was comparable with construction of homes and roads on the mainland. “From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no difference,” he told reporters.
Some countries with “ulterior motives” had unfairly characterised China’s military presence and sensationalised the issue, he said. Surveillance in the region was increasingly common and China would continue to take “necessary measures” to respond.
In a thinly veiled reference to the US, the strategy paper said: “Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs. A tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China.”
It said China’s air force would shift its focus from territorial air defence to both offence and defence, and to building airspace defences with stronger military capabilities.
China held a groundbreaking ceremony for the building of two lighthouses in the South China Sea, state media said, defying calls from the US and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity.
The foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the construction was to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security.
The strategy paper said the People’s Liberation Army’s nuclear force, known as the Second Artillery Corps, would strengthen its capabilities for deterrence and nuclear counterattack as well as medium- and long-range precision strikes.
“China faces many complex maritime security threats and challenges and requires a navy that can carry out multifaceted missions and protect its sovereignty,” said Wang Jin, a senior colonel.
The paper cited “grave threats” to China’s cyber infrastructure, adding that China would hasten development of a cyber-military force.
Self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, called on all South China Sea claimants to shelve their disagreements to enable talks on sharing resources before a conflict breaks out.
Japan will join a US-Australian military exercise for the first time, in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China’s moves.
All three nations have said they are concerned about freedom of movement through the South China Sea and its airspace.
