Washington, in turn, accuses Beijing of carrying out what it calls a land reclamation program in the South China Sea by building artificial islands in the disputed areas.
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Beijing has built three operational runways in the disputed Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefsislands which it claims is for civilian use but in reality, military fighter and transport planes regularly operate to the islands, a report in Philstar.com said.
Relations between Japan and China have always been strained over their wartime history, a sensitive topic during the summer because of end-of-the-war anniversaries.
China has claimed that the construction on the Spratly islands and reefs is “multipurpose, mixed, and with the exception of necessary military defensive requirements.more for serving all forms of civil needs”.
The United States has also urged China and other countries not to militarize their holdings in the South Island Sea. “What-s-the-South-China-Sea-strategy” class=”local_link” target=”_blank”>ship conducted a patrol around the disputed Triton Island, as part of a strategy created to decrease tensions, the Monitor reported.
He said no “substantive matters” would be discussed in Hong Kong and that he is not going there to negotiate on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.
While China may argue that these structures are for civilian use, “they are far thicker than you would build for any civilian goal”, CSIS Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative Director Gregory Poling told The New York Times. Construction of these structures began in May at Fiery Cross and in July at Subi and Mischief.
“This can enable China to challenge freedom of navigation operations and enforce its preferences over the South China Sea more effectively should the leadership in Beijing choose to do so”, he said.
“They’re reinforced to take a strike”.
China has refused to recognise the court ruling.
Ties between China and Japan, the world’s second and third largest economies, have been plagued by the territorial row, the legacy of Japan’s wartime occupation of parts of China and regional rivalry.
Japan’s Kyodo News reported Monday that Japan wants “high-level” talks with China over the incursions as they have not stopped despite Tokyo’s protests. It seems the Chinese military has chose to increase tensions by starting combat air patrols over the territory it has claimed in violation of global law.
Japan formally protested to China over the weekend, accusing Beijing of installing radar on an offshore gas platform in the East China Sea and of sending fishing and coast-guard vessels into waters around disputed islands there.
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The only contact he named was Wu Shicun, president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies.
