Beijing redeploys fighter jets in South China Sea

Asia-Pacific, News February 24, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

China has sent fighter jets to a disputed island in the South China Sea, in a move that further ratchets up tensions over a maritime area claimed by six nations.

China has redeployed fighter jets to the a disputed island in the South China Sea to which it also has sent surface-to-air missiles, US officials said Tuesday.

Fewer than 10 jets – a combination of Shenyan J-11 and Xian JH-7 aircraft – have been spotted on Woody Island in the Paracel chain in the South China Sea, officials in Washington, who spoke on condition they not be named, told reporters late Tuesday.

Navy Captain Darryn James, a spokesman for US Pacific Command, confirmed the report but highlighted that Chinese fighter jets had previously used the island.

In a separate comment, Head of the US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris said China is “clearly militarizing the South China [Sea],” adding that “you’d have to believe in a flat Earth to think otherwise.”

U.S. officials cited the latest aircraft deployment as fresh evidence of Beijing’s efforts to militarize the South China Sea to bolster its maritime claims. Chinese officials have defended their activities in the area as defensive and legitimate, and blamed Washington for fueling regional tensions.

Citing U.S. officials, Fox News reported that Chinese Shenyang J-11s and Xian JH-7s fighter jets had been spotted over the past few days by U.S. intelligence on Woody Island in the Paracel chain. The isle is where Beijing has deployed HQ-9 missiles, which have a range of about 200 km.

News of the fighter jet deployment came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington to discuss the South China Sea issue as well as North Korea’s recent nuclear and rocket tests.

Wang sought to tamp down claims of militarization in the waters, saying that “the general situation in the South China Sea is stable compared with other parts of the world.”

Wang also said Beijing would be willing to work with the Association of South East Asian Nations toward a binding code of conduct for the area, something that has eluded the group for years.

“We hope the parties will work together in the same direction — that is to say, nonmilitarization is not the responsibility of one party alone; it’s something that we share,” Wang told reporters after meeting with Kerry.

“The South China Sea islands have historically been China’s territory,” Mr Wang said at a joint press conference in Washington.

“China has a right to uphold its territorial integrity and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests. At the same time we are committed to resolving the dispute through dialogue and negotiation in a peaceful way.”

Mr Wang had been scheduled to visit the Pentagon after meeting the Secretary of State. But the meeting was suddenly cancelled, due to what US officials called a “scheduling conflict”.

China’s land reclamation and military buildup in the South China Sea have drawn international condemnation and the United States has said it will continue to sail through waters claimed by Beijing.