The Chinese Defence Ministry yesterday “expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to the report, according to a statement issued by ministry spokesman Yang Yujun. The United States did not challenge China’s sovereignty claims, nor did it challenge China’s right to build artificial islands. It dwarfs all other features in the disputed area, was recently visited by China’s military No. 2 and became prominent in the Chinese media when a famous singer of patriotic anthems entertained troops there.
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The country is building up intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles, and they have six that are capable of reaching the USA territory, as reported by Washington Free Beacon. China wants to take the big picture of China-US relations as the basis for approaching the South China Sea issue, Fang said.
While the USA says that under global law these artificial islands do not provide China with any additional territorial or maritime rights within the South China Sea, the Pentagon warns that they will significantly enhance the Communist nation’s long-term presence in the area.
The Chinese official further narrated, through a statement posted on the Defense Ministry’s website, that China is giving value on the freedom of navigation “more than any other country in the world”.
And a study past year from MissileThreat.com at the George C. Marshall Institute in Washington warned, “Prior to the deployment of the DF-26, China’s only way to attack Guam would have been with H-6K strategic bombers, which would have been much less effective given the strong defensive capabilities of the USA military on the base”.
Both chains are essentially uninhabitable, but are claimed by no fewer than seven countries, eager to gain control of the vast oil and gas fields below them, as well as some of the region’s best fishing grounds.
Such missions have drawn howls of anger from Beijing, which accuses the United States of provocation and of increasing the risk of a military mishap.
At the same time, “China demonstrated a willingness to tolerate higher levels of tension in the pursuit of its interests, especially in pursuit of its territorial claims”, the report said.
China, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan, also claims nearly the entire South China Sea.
Beijing accelerated its land reclamation and moved into the final stages of infrastructure construction at the Spratly outposts a year ago, the report said.
But China’s leaders also believe instability or conflict could jeopardize the environment that has enabled the country’s military and economic development – which in turn has allowed the Communist Party to maintain its grip on power, the report said.
China called the USA warship’s maneuvers “a naked challenge”.
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Adding to tensions, Chinese naval vessels followed and sent warnings to the USS William P. Lawrence this week as the vessel sailed within the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone around Fiery Cross Reef, a feature in the Spratly Islands where China has dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of sand and coral to create an island on which it has built an airstrip. The weapon can be armed with nuclear and conventional warheads.
