China has deployed fighter jets to disputed Woody
Island in the latest development surrounding the disputed South China
Sea Islands, according to a media report. The move comes amid heightened
tensions in the area.
US intelligence spotted “under ten” jets near Woody Island, also known as Yongxing Island, an American official told Fox News.
The dispatched jets reportedly include China’s
Shenyang J-11s (“Flanker”) and Xian JH-7s (“Flounder”). The sightings
date back to a few days ago.
Fox News also reported last week that China had sent two batteries of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles to the same island.
Earlier this week, China’s Foreign Ministry
claimed that its strengthened defenses on the South China Sea Islands
are similar to US deployments in Hawaii, adding that Washington should
not get involved in the territorial dispute.
“There is no difference between China’s deployment
of necessary national defense facilities on its own territory and the
defense installation by the US in Hawaii,” Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists at a regular press briefing on
Monday.
This tense exchange comes after Secretary of State
John Kerry hosted his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in
the US. Wang was also scheduled to visit the Pentagon on Tuesday, but
the meeting was canceled due to a “scheduling conflict,” according to
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.
Last week, Washington criticized China’s
activities on the disputed Spratly Islands (known as Nansha Qundao in
Chinese) in the South China Sea. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned
China’s “militarization” of the archipelago, promising “very serious
conversations” with Beijing, according to Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the US has stepped up cooperation with
its Asian allies to counter what it perceives as a rise in China’s naval
capabilities in the region and beyond. Washington’s military measures
include conducting regular naval patrols in the South China Sea, as well
as air surveillance and US-led war games.
The Chinese and US militaries have previously had close encounters at sea and in the air leading to diplomatic turmoil.
Woody Island is the biggest island in the Paracel
chain in the South China Sea. China laid claim to the island in the
1950s, but the rights to the area, which is at the heart of economically
important shipping routes in the South China Sea, are being contested
by Taiwan and Vietnam.
The archipelago also offers rich fishing grounds,
along with possible oil and natural gas deposits, which explains the
territorial disputes among neighboring countries.
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