“The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s formal name) once again solemnly invites the five arbitrators (in the Philippine case) to conduct a field study on Taiping Island”, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. But the country’s focus has shifted to developing and weaponizing those man-made islands so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict, according to a new Pentagon report.
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Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015.
According to the report, the Chinese-controlled outposts include harbors and berthing areas for large ships, communications and surveillance systems, logistics facilities and three airfields, each with almost 10,000-foot-long (3,000-meter) runways.
Both China and the U.S. accuse each other of militarizing the South China Sea.
At least six nations, including China, Vietnam and the Philippines, have competing sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
It was the third time a US warship exercised “freedom of navigation” in the area.
The commission’s report examines the challenges posed to the United States by a crucial aspect of China’s military modernization: its investments in “offensive” missile forces to hold an expanding range of regional targets at risk.
Framing itself as reacting to threats to its national sovereignty or to outside provocations, China has deployed the coast guard to monitor its claims by maintaining a “near-continuous presence” in disputed areas such as the Senkakus, the report noted.
Specifically, it notes China’s plans to build its first overseas military facility in Djibouti to help support naval operations in the region. He said China wanted to take the big picture of China-US relations as the basis for approaching the South China Sea issue.
China recently denied a request from the USA aircraft carrier Stennis for a port visit in Hong Kong, the State Department said Friday, April 29, 2016, in an apparent sign of mounting tension in the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing has been angered by the growing US attention on Asia and USA forays into the Sea, including sailing warships close to reclaimed islands.
FILE – A Chinese flag and a satellite dish are prominently displayed in a structure built by China in one of the islands in the Spratly Islands.
The report has also repeats the accusation that the Chinese government and military engage in cyber attacks on U.S. government computer systems, a charge Beijing has denied.
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“China is using its cyber capabilities to support intelligence collection against the US diplomatic, economic, and defense industrial base sectors that support USA national defense programs”, the Defense Department said in its annual report on China’s capabilities, published Friday.
