The news was first reported Tuesday by Fox News, which said US intelligence spotted two jets on Woody Island in the last few days.
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China has deployed fighter jets to disputed Woody Island in the latest development surrounding the disputed South China Sea Islands, according to a media report.
Speaking before the meeting in Washington between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Harris said China was escalating the situation in the South China Sea with new deployments. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.
According to the CSIS report, the Chinese regime’s radar facilities in the Spratlys and construction of “new runways and air defense capabilities” on other islands suggest a “long-term anti-access strategy by China-one that would see it establish effective control over the sea and airspace throughout the South China Sea”.
The fighter jet sightings follow the placement of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on the 210-hectare island, known in Chinese as Yongxing and called Phu Lam by Vietnam, which also claims it.
Wang, who spoke at the same conference, gave a roundabout answer that avoided responsibility for militarizing the region: “We hope the parties will work together in the same direction-that is to say, non-militarization is not the responsibility of one party alone; it’s something that we share”.
The deployment of defense facilities is the result of China’s right to self-defense granted by worldwide law, which is fully legitimate, said a press release from the Ministry of National Defense. Washingtons military measures include conducting regular naval patrols in the South China Sea, as well as air surveillance and US-led war games.
“The U.S.is not involved in the South China Sea dispute, and this is not and should not become a problem between China and the United States”.
Beijing’s recent deployment of surface-to-air missiles, its installation of radar facilities and its construction of airstrips on territorially disputed islands are flat-out changing “the operational landscape in the South China Sea”, Adm. Harris said.
China says it is building the islands mainly for civil purposes and that the intention is to provide more goods and services to the global community.
Earlier this week, the US revealed that North Korea had made a proposal recently, but that those talks could only happen if denuclearization remained the top priority.
The South China Sea issue is not and should not become an issue between China and United States, Wang said, stressing that it is important to prevent any miscalculation between Washington and Beijing.
“We do not accept the DPRK’s nuclear missile program and we do not recognize the DPRK as a nuclear weapon state”, Wang said.
Already this month, the USA has taken tougher steps of its own against North Korea, tightening sanctions and announcing it will hold formal talks with its close ally South Korea on deploying a missile defense system that China fears could be used against it as well North Korea.
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This image with notations provided by ImageSat International N.V., Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, shows satellite images of Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea.
