At a naval conference in Canberra, Admiral Harry Harris Jr. of the US Pacific Fleet spent a few moments speaking on the beauty of the South China Sea, a body of water teeming with natural islands and coral reefs.
"But what’s really drawing a lot of concern in the here and now is the unprecedented land reclamation currently being conducted by China," Harris said. "China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months."
This wall, as the admiral calls it, refers to a series of submerged reefs in the Spratlys archipelago, which China has built into utilitarian landmasses, complete with buildings and aircraft runways.
"China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs – some of them submerged – and paving over them with concrete," he said. In total, Harris said that China had converted over 4 square kilometers of sea into land.
The purpose of these islands is what worries both the US military and other regional players. The South China Sea is a highly contested area, with territorial disputes between a number of nations. While China claims a vast majority of the sea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia all have overlapping stakes. Earlier this month, both the Philippines and Vietnam filed diplomatic protests to Beijing over Chinese naval presence near their shores.
The main fear is that these islands are being built as military installations with the intention of broadening Beijing's influence in the region.
"When one looks at China’s pattern of provocative actions towards smaller claimant states…it’s no surprise that the scope and pace of building man-made islands raises serious questions about Chinese intentions," Harris said.
"How China proceeds will be a key indicator of whether the region is heading towards confrontation or cooperation," he added.
But to address these concerns, the United States is bolstering its own military presence. Last month, the US Navy admitted that it is launching its most advanced spy plane – the Poseidon P-8A – out of bases in the Philippines. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of Senators wrote to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, demanding a formal strategy for countering Chinese influence in the South China Sea.....................http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150331/1020264686.html#ixzz3VyZtOzlM
31/3/15
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Related:
China says island, reef construction in South China Sea lawful, justified
Senate Demands Formal US Strategy to Stop China in South China Sea (video)
China asks US to stop interfering in maritime disputes
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China building fake islands by dumping sand on coral reefs as it claims South China Sea, says US...
ReplyDeleteChina is creating a "great wall of sand" as it takes land in the disputed South China Sea, and could be preparing to launch further grabs of territory, according to the commander of the US's navy in the area.
Admiral Harry Harris Jr told a naval security conference in Australia that "China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs — some of them submerged — and paving over them with concrete. China has now created over 4 square kilometres (1.5 square miles) of artificial landmass".
The new land is next to some of the most beautiful natural islands in the world, but "in sharp contrast, China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months," Harris said...............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-building-fake-islands-by-dumping-sand-on-coral-reefs-as-it-claims-South-China-Sea-says-US/articleshow/46774283.cms
1/4/15
A Philippine plane was fired upon over a Chinese-controlled area of the disputed Spratly Island, the fourth largest island in the Spratly Islands archipelago, local media reported on Thursday...
ReplyDeleteThe plane in question was a civilian medical evacuation flight bound for Thitu Island, the largest of Philippine-controlled naturally occurring Spratly Islands, Philippine People’s Television reported on its Twitter page.
The Philippine military is investigating the report, the broadcaster added in another Tweet.
China’s territorial claims to the Spratly Islands, potentially rich in significant oil and gas reserves, contradict those of the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.............http://sptnkne.ws/fjs
23/4/15