The structures, capable of housing long range surface-to-air missiles, may be a political test for the Trump administration, a U. S. official told Reuters.
China is close to finishing the construction of structures capable of housing long range surface-to-air missiles on the artificial islands in the South China Sea, two U. S. officials told Reuters Wednesday. The news comes amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington over the former’s claims on territories in the disputed waters.
The structures, which contain retractable roofs, are located on the Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs. These reefs are part of the Spratly Islands chain, and building such structures in the area could be considered an attempt at military escalation in the South China Sea, the U. S. officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. China has also built military-length airstrips and has conducted week-long training drills amid the ongoing territorial dispute. The Donald Trump administration has called China’s island building in the South China Sea illegal.
«It is not like the Chinese to build anything in the South China Sea just to build it, and these structures resemble others that house SAM batteries, so the logical conclusion is that’s what they are for,» a U.
