China nears completion of controversial airstrip in South China Sea
|
Version 0 of 1. China has almost finished construction of a 3,000m runway on the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, satellite images have shown. The airstrip – the first by China on the islands it claims in the area – has been paved and taxiways have been built, according to the images published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI). “Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible,” said the Washington-based group, adding that two lighthouses and one cement plant have also been built on the island. The runway is large enough for heavy military transport planes and fighters. Images taken in April showed it only a third complete, demonstrating that it has since been constructed at a rapid rate. Fiery Cross Reef is one of several small islands in the South China Sea that China has been reclaiming, using dredger barges which scoop up sand and coral and pile it on to the reef. Although lying hundreds of miles south of its shores, China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims. The United States and Japan also oppose China’s reclamation of islands and environmentalists argue it destroys delicate reef ecology. The area is a busy shipping route connecting to the Strait of Malacca and the Pacific and is believed to have rich oil and gas deposits. The South China Sea is a key sea route for roughly £3.17tn in trade. Beijing says the island outposts will serve maritime search and rescue missions, disaster relief, environmental protection as well as undefined military purposes. China’s top diplomat, state councillor Yang Jiechi, said last week that “navigation freedom in the South China Sea is guaranteed”. “We do believe that there will not be any issue or problem with navigational freedom in future. We hope the US can be impartial and objective to serve peace and stability in this region,” he said after talks in Washington. Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for the Center for Strategic & International Studies, said that the beginning of the typhoon season means there could be a lull in activity over the coming month. She said that an upcoming visit by China’s President Xi Jinping to the US in September could also dampen the drive by Beijing to militarise the islands. Related: Japan joins with former foes to flex its muscles as it eyes China's rise “That said, I do think that activity will again pick up again, perhaps in the fall. The Chinese are going to continue with construction, militarisation, but what we have over the summer is at least an opportunity for more dialogue,” she said. Philippines and Vietnamese ships in the South China Sea report they have increasingly been harassed by Chinese vessels. In May, a Chinese fishing vessel rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. Images published by AMTI also showed that China had added military facilities to the South Johnson Reef. A 3,000 square-metre port and two loading stations have been built and there are two helipads on the reef and up to three satellite communications antennas, AMTI said. It said a large, multi-level military facility is in the centre of the reef, with two possible radar towers under construction. “Up to six security and surveillance towers being built with four possible weapons towers also under construction,” it noted. |