Report: Beijing adds weapons to South China Sea islands
Source: AP
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Dec. 15, 2016 3:28 AM EST
BEIJING (AP) — China appears to have installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its man-made islands in the strategically vital South China Sea, a U.S. security think tank says, upping the stakes in what many see as a potential Asian powder keg.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report late Wednesday that the anti-aircraft guns and close-in weapons systems designed to guard against missile attack have been placed on all seven of China's newly created islands. The outposts were built in recent years over objections by the U.S. and rival claimants by piling sand on top of coral reefs, followed by the construction of military grade 3,000-meter (10,000-foot) airstrips, barracks, lighthouses, radar stations and other infrastructure.
CSIS based its conclusions on satellite images taken in mid-to-late November and published on the website of its Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
In a statement, China's Defense Ministry repeated that development on the islands was mainly for civilian purposes, but added that defensive measures were "appropriate and legal."
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/90951c7ab1d94ebc90bef9d2f62ac318/report-beijing-adds-weapons-south-china-sea-islands
I'm not worried about China defending itself in a
sea bearing its name, especially given the fact that Putin, not Xi, will be running our OWN country in less than six weeks!
= new reply since forum marked as read
