China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and US officials said, ratcheting up tensions even as US President Barack Obama urged restraint in the region.
Taiwan defence ministry spokesperson Major General David Lo told Reuters on Wednesday that the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island.
Woody Island is part of the Paracels chain, under Chinese control for more than 40 years but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Western Media Reporting
A US defence official also confirmed the ‘apparent deployment’ of the missiles, first reported by Fox News.
China’s foreign minister said the reports were created by ‘certain Western media’ that should focus more on China’s building of lighthouses to improve shipping safety in the region.
As for the limited and necessary self-defence facilities that China has built on islands and reefs we have people stationed on, this is consistent with the right to self-protection that China is entitled to under international law so there should be no question about it.Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China
China‘s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday defence facilities on ‘relevant islands and reefs’ had been in place for many years when asked whether China had deployed a surface-to-air missile system on one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, a South China Sea expert from the Center for a New American Security, said it was not the first time that China has sent such weapons to the Paracels.
The Paracel Islands are China‘s territory, so China is within its rights to deploy defence facilities there, the ministry added in a statement to Reuters.
China‘s air and naval defensive deployments on the relevant islands and reefs have existed for many years.China Defence Ministry
The ministry added that reports by certain western media were nothing but ‘hype’.
Indication of Militarisation: South China Sea Patrolling
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which, more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year, and has been building runways and other infrastructure on artificial islands to bolster its title.
The US has said it will continue conducting ‘freedom of navigation patrols’ by ships and aircraft to assure unimpeded passage through the region, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.
We will conduct more, and more complex, freedom of navigation operations as time goes on in the South China Sea. We have no intention of stopping.Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command
Admiral Harris said, the deployment of missiles to the Paracels would not be a surprise but would be a concern, and be contrary to China’s pledge not to militarise the region.
Rising Tensions
News of the missile deployment came as Obama and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations concluded a summit in California, where they discussed the need to ease tensions in the South China Sea but did not include specific mention of China’s assertive pursuit of its claims there.
China‘s increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to a Beijing-controlled air defence zone, analysts say.
[The missile deployment] reinforces the view that China intends to exert growing control in these international waters, including potentially by declaring an Air Defence Identification Zone.Rory Medcalf, Head of the National Security College
Taiwan, Vietnam React
Taiwan President-elect Tsai Ing-wen said tensions were now higher in the region.
We urge all parties to work on the situation based on principles of peaceful solution and self-control.Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan President-elect
Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But in a rare move, the country’s prime minister on Monday pressed Obama for a greater US role in preventing militarisation and island-building in the South China Sea.
China Retaliates
Any deployment of missiles on China‘s own territory would be legitimate, a spokesperson for China‘s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, asked about reports that China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system on one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea.
Deploying surface-to-air missiles on our territory is completely within the scope of our sovereign rights. We have sovereignty there, so we can choose whether to militarise it.Ni Lexiong, naval expert
Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he was unaware of the specifics of the situation, but added that any facilities built have to do with national defence, not militarisation.
China last month said it would not seek militarisation of its South China Sea islands and reefs, but that did not mean it would not set up defences.
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