WASHINGTON • While attention in Asia has been distracted by the North Korean nuclear crisis in the past year, China has continued to install facilities that can be used for military purposes on its man-made islands in the South China Sea, a US think-tank said..
WASHINGTON • While attention in Asia has been distracted by the North Korean nuclear crisis in the past year, China has continued to install facilities that can be used for military purposes on its man-made islands in the South China Sea, a US think-tank said.
Chinese activity has involved work on facilities covering 29ha of the Spratly and Paracel islands, territory also claimed by several other Asian nations, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The report cited satellite images.
The United States and its allies oppose China’s building of artificial islands in the South China Sea and their militarisation, given concerns that Beijing plans to use them to deny access to strategic routes.
