“The official said the imagery viewed appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system, which closely resembles Russia’s S-300 missile system”, Fox News said.
Advertisement
Taiwan’s ministry of national defence said it had “grasped that Communist China had deployed” missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel chain.
Further details of the deployment from Woody Island could not be disclosed, Defence Ministry spokesperson Major General David Lo said, adding Taiwan would “closely watch [any] subsequent developments”.
“As for the limited and necessary self-defence facilities that China has built on islands and reefs we have people stationed on, this is consistent with the right to self-protection that China is entitled to under worldwide law, so there should be no question about it”, Wang told a news conference in Beijing. The island is one of a number in the Paracels chain, which has been controlled by China for decades but is also subject to claims from Taiwan and Vietnam.
“The U.S. military has flown surveillance flights around Chinese-claimed islands, which China has called a violation of its sovereignty”, Frank reports.
Obama pressed for a “halt to reclamation, new construction and militarization” of Asia’s oceans, an indirect reference to China’s rapid construction in the South China Sea of airstrips and ports in the Spratly Islands that could have military uses.
Washington’s soft stance on China and preference for dialogue likely have enabled Beijing’s advances in the South China Sea, allowing the deployment of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island.
The deployment was supported by the commander of the US Pacific Fleet.
The HQ-9 is among China’s most advanced missiles, it stated in a Wednesday analysis, and this is the first time China has deployed them.
“We had serious discussions with the Chinese and I am confident that in the coming days we will have new serious conversations”, warned Mr. Kerry.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China told reporters during a briefing that the developments made by China in the region were peaceful. Kerry urged China to resolve disputes through diplomacy not unilateral actions and force.
Vietnam also claims the Spratlys and the Paracels as sovereign territory, extending Vietnam’s EEZ across much of the region and bringing it into direct conflict with China.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the media should focus instead on lighthouses the country has built in the South China Sea which he claimed had been “very useful in assuring the safety of passing ships”.
A patrol by a U.S. navy destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels last month, earning Chinese condemnation.
Advertisement
Called Yongxingdao by China, Woody Island has an artificial harbor, an airport, roads, army posts and other buildings.
