The Center for Strategic and International Studies said the hangars at Fiery, Subi and Mischief reefs can accommodate dozens of fighter jets. “Except for a brief visit by a military transport plane to Fiery Cross Reef earlier this year, there is no evidence that Beijing has deployed military aircraft to these outposts”, the report said.
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In July, China rejected an worldwide tribunal ruling that its claims have no rights in the South China Sea, raising tensions with neighbours who have competing claims in the area.
Designated by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as a special envoy, Ramos arrived in Hong Kong on Monday evening to start his visit to China after the South China Sea arbitration case has frozen the two countries’ ties.
Ramos was Philippines president from 1992 to 1998, when China occupied the submerged Mischief Reef.
“I think it’s a mistake to take them individually and not look at them as a collective”.
The photographs show development undertaken on the Spratly Islands, a strategically vital area where China has built its own artificial islands on reefs.
Contrary to wide-spread speculation, tensions in the South China Sea did not peak after the July 12 ruling by the arbitral tribunal: so far, China has not announced the creation of a South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone, nor has it started the land reclamation of the Scarborough Shoal.
“While many Indian people have been focused on the South China Sea ahead of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s upcoming trip to the country, less attention has been paid to the recent fall in exports of made-in-India products to China”, it said.
Separately, relations between China and another US ally, South Korea, have been strained in recent days by a decision by South Korea and the United States to deploy an advanced anti-missile defence system, to guard against North Korean attacks, that China fears could be used against its military.
The paper said it was the first radar unit known to have been installed on any of the Chinese structures in the area, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits.
Wu did not respond to phone calls from China Daily seeking comment on Tuesday. In their view, the ruling would embolden Manila, pushing it to seek closer military cooperation with the USA, including but not limited to arms sales or even joint patrols of the disputed areas. It is also essential for the SDF and China’s military to take confidence-building measures.
But negotiations stalled and Tokyo suspects China has some drilling rigs in operation near its de facto maritime border with Japan.
The move by Fumio Kishida comes as the number of Chinese coast guard ships around the islands has almost quadrupled over the past few days to as many as 13, a record number since China started sending ships to the region in September 2012 after Japan nationalized the islands’ ownership.
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“The situation surrounding the Japan-China relationship is markedly deteriorating”, Japanese Foreign minister Fumio Kishida told the Chinese ambassador, according to the ministry’s statement on its website. Some of the vessels also entered Japanese waters for the third day in a row.
