Beijing has installed cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on man-made islands throughout the South China Sea, according to a report on Wednesday, a move one US security analyst described as “a clear offensive threat.”
CNBC first broke the story, citing sources with direct knowledge of US intelligence reports who said the missile platforms were deployed on the outposts within the past 30 days.
The news comes less than a month after The Wall Street Journal reported that “military jamming equipment” had been installed on the Spratly Islands, one of the locations also identified in the report this week.
“This should be seen as China crossing an important threshold. Missile platforms present a clear offensive threat,” Gregory Poling, a fellow at the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies told CNBC. “[The missile deployment] is a pretty clear threat to the other claimants and furthers China’s goal of establishing complete control over the water and airspace of the South China Sea,” added Poling, who is director of CSIS’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
The missile installations represent the first such deployments on the locations, which include Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, according to US intelligence assessments. Similar systems have already been deployed in the Paracel islands, situated further to the north.
Land-based YJ-12B anti-ship cruise missiles and long-range HQ-9B surface-to-air missiles were installed on the locations, according to the reporting. The YJ-12B has the capability to strike ships within a 295 nautical-mile radius, while the HQ-9B has the potential to target aircraft within 160 nautical miles.
“It has been clear that these were coming since at least last year when China constructed shelters for them at each of the islands, but the actual deployments are still significant,” Poling said. “Now every ship or plane moving near the Spratlys is operating within Chinese missile range.”
I suppose that it’s no longer a question of will we have a war or not,
but rather a question of when. These are great days fot the armaments
industries. Sooner or later some fool will push the wrong button.
nobody even blinks an eye when America as 800 military bases around the world keeping all those countries occupied and on lockdown should a new war begin, who can blame China for ensuring that their trade routes are secured
Who defined the thresholds and what thresholds?
In what right the US demands China to stop develop civil and commercial technology. That’s really ridiculous!
This is broad day light robbery by China of internationally recognized terrortires to be left alone. No one is going to agree to their claims, and no missiles are going to deter USA and 18+ Nato members can can sink every Chinese fishing trawler upto the decorative piece of crap Liaoning, and blow out every Chinese copies of Russian fighters from the sky and send the PLAA back to Chow-Ming days.
Falcon Dave but it’s apparently not day light robbery if the U.S. surrounds China with roughly 400 military bases in the same area and doesn’t complain when any of its allies, like the Phillippines or Vietnam make claims well beyond their EEZs (both claim all the Spratly Islands and Vietnam claims the Parcel Islands as well), militarily occupy them, and arm them with offensive weaponry. Let’s also not forget that 80% of the trade going through the South China Sea goes to China! The U.S. would love everyone to be ignorant of their use of proxy countries in their "China Containment Strategy" which Obama openly discussed.
Of course the U.S. can harm China. China is literally developing the world and moving millions out of poverty everyday while only spending 1% of its GDP on its military. The U.S. is bankrupting themselves fighting wars and occupying nations.
Apparently this author gets to make that call…
Falcon Dave can you cite any UN document that dispute Taiping island in the middle of South Chia Sea belong to Chinese nation? Come back to the forum when you have the answer.
Jason Jean , I believe there is a difference between Vietnam’s claim and the China’s. Vietnam only claims land features in the Paracels while China claims the entire SCS. And there is another difference between the Philippines’ claim and China’s too. The land features Philippines claims are in its EEZ while none feature is in China’s EEZ. None land features in the Paracels are in China’s EEZ.
As soon as China gives up her claim to the entire sea, nobody will harm China, who will be left alone to continue its "moving millions out poverty".
Besides, to claim the entire sea violates China’s own law, in addition to violating international law. China’s own law says, China’s territorial sea is only 12 nautical mile wide, not wider than 1000. The Chinese law can be read here: http://www.npc.gov.cn/wxzl/wxzl/2000-12/05/content_4562.htm
When China was poor, which countries helped China to alleviate her poverty since the 1988s? Now a filth rich China is biting the bankrupt fingers that used to feed her.
How long will it take China to start charging freedom of navagation fees to all shipping gowing through there ? And no China Bots its not Your shipping lanes its international Waters
Extreme begets extreme. This will further cement the growing alliance between the US and a dozen nations in the area to act as a countervailing force against China’s rapidly expanding economic and military ambitions.
Wood Wu yes, yes, you’ve brought up your misreading of the Chinese constitution before. Apparently only you understand the Chinese constitution but China’s government doesn’t. See unlike the U.S. which interprets its constitution as sacrosanct, the Chinese government will modify its constitution if need be (they even did so in the last few months. So if what you said was true, they would simply modify it so they could include the 9-dash line; they don’t do this because your interpretation is erroneous.
As to your statement about Vietnam’s claims, you are also incorrect. Vietnam has claimed territory in the South China Sea similar to China’s but not as large. Interestingly, however, Vietnam’s claims are disputed by more countries than China’s are (their claims overlap with Indonesia’s so their claims overlap with more countries’ claims). Your statement about the Phillippine’s claim is erroneous as well as all the Spratly Islands don’t fall within the Phillippine’s EEZ, yet they claim all of them. There are now many maps showing every countries’ claims to the South China Sea and none limit themselves to their EEZ.
So, what your essentially saying is that, if China gives up all its claims to the South China Sea, which stretch back to the 11th century, and were filed with the UN in 1946 (long before these other countries existed as countries), then everyone will be happy? You need to actually take a look at what Vietnam and the Phillippines have been doing in the South China Sea since the 1970s. They’ve been militarily occupying every piece of land they can get their hands on and placing offensive weapons on them. 80% of South China Sea trade goes to China. Do you honestly think that China would be better off allowing these countries to completely militarize this entire area? And along with the roughly 400 U.S. military bases in the area, allow itself and its shipping lanes to be enclosed by a country and its allies who officially view it as a "strategic competitor?" Finally, look what has happened since China built these islands. All the claimant countries have better ties with China and they now cooperate on resource exploitation and scientific discovery. ASEAN doesn’t think the South China Sea situation has gotten worse, and even the Phillippines doesn’t make use of its arbitration ruling in attempts to gain concessions from China.
Jason Jean all countries altered their constitutions from time to time even America, I think you call them amendments, sound familiar?
First of all, these "islands" that China claims belong to them, are not even real islands. They are man made clumps of land China dredged up from the ocean bottom. China also clearly said when all this "island making" began, that they were not going to be used for military purposes! Looks pretty much like a huge bold faced lie on their part!
Uncle Sam did a very good job of forcing China to "…not going to be used for military purposes!" to "arm these island to defend themselves". So, don’t blame China for your own blunder!!!
"Gun-boat diplomacy" started by Europeans long ago, and even today, those spoils from 1800s – 1900s stolen from China are still in Europe and in their museums, their homes,… all must be returned to China.
Yeah, and I call them "Uncle Sam and his Seven Dwarfs". They still among to nothing!!!
Of course the westerners are land robbers in the 18th and 19th century robbing other people’s land in the middle east,India,Malaysia,Indonesia,Philippines,Vietnam and China.In fact they gave opiums to the chinese and enjoy their tea in Europe.Yes this was imperislism and land robbing era.Are Asians going to repeat what the europeans and americans did? Is China going to rob their neighbour’s territories right in their doorsteps based on unjustified historical
writings.Is China copying what the europeans did to the Asians states?
David Bedford oh, the U.S. used to alter their constitution regularly, they haven’t in…I don’t know 70 years. Why not? Because they view it as sacrosanct now. America is being torn apart due to their constitutional right to bare arms but no one is discussing even the possibility of a constitutional amendment. It’s because they apparently aren’t allowed anymore.
https://youtu.be/mXNO_g4hlKw
Guest who that person who is going to push that wrong button will be: a member of the all powerful swamp who is doing everything within its means to dethrone the Donald. Poor guy. He should have let Rocketman perfect his Nodons and Udons such that it can reach the swamp he’s trying to drain.
https://youtu.be/caTqZh88jPQ
Buddy Frank you’re American? The US didn’t force the communist govt to build fake islands in the middle of nowhere, based on some mythical 900 year old map they discovered! Wake up college student!
Standards! Standards please, people!!!
http://thenakedlistener.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/subic-bay-and-clark-air-base-map.jpg
https://thetruthaboutplas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Andersen-AFB-Guam.jpg
http://media.presstv.com/photo/20160725/7724f9f9-58da-45ab-8678-00b186d25d4f.jpg
I wonder how many nukes are stationed in these forward bases?
.
Wumaos and Chinese as usual are defending their big brother CCP thugs.