Prensa.www.voanews.com
The
Chinese military is building anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on the
artificial islands it has constructed in the South China Sea, in what analysts
believe is a prelude to deploying combat aircraft to the disputed territory,
according to a U.S. research organization.
"This
is further evidence that the commitment that President Xi Jinping made to
President [Barack] Obama last year not to militarize these islands was, at
best, premature," Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) Director
Gregory Poling told VOA in an interview Wednesday. "This is clearly
advanced preparation to arm these islands in case of an armed conflict."
The
conclusion that new weapons systems have been placed on the reefs results from
months of analysis of commercial satellite imagery, according to AMTI. "We
can see that these are emplacements for anti-aircraft guns. If the barrel of a
gun is long enough that you can see it from space, then it's pretty big,"
said Poling.
Defense
system
Also
evident are close-in weapons systems, most likely for missile defense. "If
you imagine that you have surface-to-air missiles to protect against any
incoming cruise missiles, then anything that gets through would face these
guns. This is not something you build if you don't intend to defend these
islands," Poling said.
AMTI had
been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and
Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands, where China has already built long
airstrips, since June and July. Images of Fiery Cross Reef also reveal towers
that most likely contain targeting radar, according to the analysis.
"They're
not even close to done. Most of these islands — the big ones, Mischief Reef,
Subi Reef and Fiery Cross Reef, the ones that are being turned into air bases —
there's still a lot of empty real estate there. They're going to continue to
build," Poling predicted. "What we're seeing is the most important
critical infrastructure going in for air and for defense. Pretty soon I expect
that we'll see deployment of combat aircraft. We'll probably see deployment of
mobile surface-to-air [SAM] missiles like the HQ-9s that were sent to Woody
Island last year."
Fox News
recently reported that components for SAM systems were spotted at the Chinese
port of Jieyang, in Guangdong province, possibly destined for the South China
Sea.
"I
think it is proof against those in the U.S. and elsewhere who have shrugged off
these facilities and said, 'Ah, they're no big deal. You could take care of
these quickly.' That's clearly not the case," Poling said. China has
stated that the military construction on the islands would be limited to
defensive needs.
U.S.
government aware
The
imagery released Wednesday by AMTI, which is affiliated with the
Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, is certainly
no surprise to the U.S. government. "By the time we've identified
something on commercial imagery, the intelligence communities here and in the
region have presumably been aware of it for quite some time," Poling said.
The
incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has given signals
it intends to take a tougher approach to Chinese assertiveness in the disputed
waters. America's commitment to the region will continue under Trump's
presidency, the commander of U.S. military operations there pledged Wednesday.
The U.S.
military also will not soften its opposition to Chinese expansion in the South
China Sea, said Admiral Harry Harris Jr., head of the U.S. Pacific Command. "You
can count on America now and into the future," Harris said in a speech at
the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia. "Reports of America's abandonment
of the Indo-Asia-Pacific have been greatly exaggerated."
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