It said that while Beijing paused its land-reclamation work in the disputed Spratly Islands late previous year after adding more than 3,200 acres (1,280 hectares) of land to seven features it occupies there, the man-made islets give China long-term “civil-military” outposts from which it can project power.
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China said such provocative actions justified it in boosting “all categories of military capacity building” on its island strongholds in the South China Sea.
It has also excavated deep channels; created and dredged harbors; and constructed communications, logistics and intelligence gathering facilities, the report said.
She said Australia does not “take sides in the various claims over territorial or boundary issues”, but called on all parties to “refrain from any aggressive or coercive conduct against vessels exercising their right” of navigation.
But it says it will allow China to enhance its long-term presence in the area.
Beijing’s land reclamation efforts in an area known as the Spratly Islands have added 1,295 hectares to the seven features it occupies, according to the report. The guided missile destroyer, USS William P Lawrence, passed within 22-kilometres of Fiery Cross Reef, the limit of what worldwide law regards as an island’s territorial sea. The U.S. said it was a “freedom of navigation” operation in global waters, one of many it has taken near contested reefs and outcrops.
Vietnam, China and Taiwan all claim the Paracels, and the three along with the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim all or parts of the Spratlys.
FILE – This aerial photo taken through a glass window of a military plane shows China’s alleged on-going reclamation of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, May 11, 2015.
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.
While the current state of Chinese guidance technology makes any threat low at the moment, the report noted that “China’s commitment to continuing to modernize its strike capabilities indicates the risk will likely grow going forward”.
To help reduce the Guam risk, the US military could also spread out the presence of USA personnel and resources to more countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, or access to an increased number of alternative regional ports and airfields.
Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun says the US Defence Department’s annual report on China’s military activities had “wilfully distorted China’s national defense policy” and says the US is too suspicious.
Top generals from China and the United States said they were ready to work out an effective mechanism to prevent confrontation in the South China Sea and maintain stability in the region, in what may be a move to calm escalating tensions over the disputed waters.
“The information targeted could potentially be used to benefit China’s defense industry, high-technology industries, and provide the CCP insights into US leadership perspectives on key China issues, the report said”.
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China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to the island.
