The foreign ministry accused China of violating Vietnamese sovereignty by sending a civilian aircraft to a newly created airfield at Fiery Cross, until recently a partially submerged reef.
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China rejected the court’s arbitration, but Vietnam has reportedly said it is considering similar legal action against it larger neighbor. “That’s the fear, that China will be able to take control of the South China Sea, and it will affect the freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight [and the] unimpeded flow of commerce”.
China has been building runways on the artificial islands for over a year, and the plane’s landing was not a surprise. Nansha Islands is the Chinese name of Spratly’s. “The Chinese side will not accept the unfounded accusations from the Vietnamese side”. AMTI also notes that China may be constructing a new radar tower and possible gun emplacements at Fiery Cross Reef.
“While this was a civil test, this airport is clearly very militarily capable, and China could presumably start to use it in some capacity at any time”, Andrew Erickson, associate professor at the US Naval War College, told the Wall Street Journal.
Late previous year, China completed an airfield on Fiery Cross Reef that security experts say could accommodate most Chinese military aircraft.
The resource-rich waters, through which US$5 trillion in trade sails annually, has seen competing sovereignty claims from countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.
Besides Kagitingan, China built artificial islands on Calderon (Cuarteron), Burgos (Gaven), Mabini (Johnson South), Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi) and McKennan (Hughes) reefs, all claimed by the Philippines and within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone recognized under Unclos.
Hanoi earlier strongly protested at the flight, labelling it a violation of sovereignty which “influences peace and stability in the South China Sea”. Erickson believes this as a sign of China’s growing military power in the region, and that while its recent move was only a “civil test”, China could start flexing its military might anytime soon.
Beijing accuses Washington of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the South China Sea.
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But “repeated provocations” by the United States, such as sending vessels to the South China Sea, have forced China to ensure it has installations to protect people and facilities on the islands.
