{"id":364689,"date":"2022-03-22T06:02:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=364689"},"modified":"2022-03-22T06:02:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:02:43","slug":"us-admiral-says-china-fully-militarized-isles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/us-admiral-says-china-fully-militarized-isles\/","title":{"rendered":"US admiral says China fully militarized isles"},"content":{"rendered":"

OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA<\/strong> (AP)\u2014China has fully militarized at least three of several islands it built in the disputed South China Sea, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets in an increasingly aggressive move that threatens all nations operating nearby, a top U.S. military commander said Sunday.<\/p>\n

U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said the hostile actions were in stark contrast to Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s past assurances that Beijing would not transform the artificial islands in contested waters into military bases. The efforts were part of China\u2019s flexing its military muscle, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think over the past 20 years we\u2019ve witnessed the largest military buildup since World War II by the PRC,\u201d Aquilino told The Associated Press in an interview, using the initials of China\u2019s formal name. \u201cThey have advanced all their capabilities and that buildup of weaponization is destabilizing to the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Aquilino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials. Beijing maintains its military profile is purely defensive, arranged to protect what it says are its sovereign rights. But after years of increased military spending, China now boasts the world\u2019s second largest defense budget after the U.S. and is rapidly modernizing its force with weapons systems including the J-20 stealth fighter, hypersonic missiles and two aircraft carriers, with a third under construction.<\/p>\n

Aquilino spoke with the AP onboard a U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft that flew near Chinese-held outposts in the South China Sea\u2019s Spratly archipelago, one of the most hotly contested regions in the world. During the patrol, the P-8A Poseidon plane was repeatedly warned by Chinese callers that it illegally entered what they said was China\u2019s territory and ordered the plane to move away.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina has sovereignty over the Spratly islands, as well as surrounding maritime areas. Stay away immediately to avoid misjudgment,\u201d one of the stern radio messages said in a veiled threat.<\/p>\n

But the U.S. Navy plane dismissed the multiple warnings and pressed on defiantly with its reconnaissance in brief but tense moments witnessed by two AP journalists invited onboard. \u201cI am a sovereign immune United States naval aircraft conducting lawful military activities beyond the national airspace of any coastal state,\u201d a U.S. pilot radioed back to the Chinese.<\/p>\n

\u201cExercising these rights is guaranteed by international law and I am operating with due regard to the rights and duties of all states,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Navy commanding officer Joel Martinez, who led the P-8A Poseidon\u2019s crew, said there has been an incident when a Chinese jet flew close to a U.S. aircraft in a dangerous maneuver in the disputed region. The U.S. flight crew calmly reminded the Chinese to comply with aviation safety regulations, he said.<\/p>\n

As the P-8A Poseidon flew as low as 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) near the Chinese-occupied reefs, some appeared to be like small cities on screen monitors, with multi-story buildings, warehouses, hangars, seaports, runways and white round structures Aquilino said were radars. Near Fiery Cross, more than 40 unspecified vessels could be seen apparently anchored.<\/p>\n

Aquilino said the construction of missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross appeared to have been completed but it remains to be seen if China will pursue the construction of military infrastructure in other areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe function of those islands is to expand the offensive capability of the PRC beyond their continental shores,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can fly fighters, bombers plus all those offensive capabilities of missile systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said any military and civilian plane flying over the disputed waterway could easily get within range of the Chinese islands\u2019 missile system.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s the threat that exists, that\u2019s why it\u2019s so concerning for the militarization of these islands,\u201d he said. \u201cThey threaten all nations who operate in the vicinity and all the international sea and airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n

China sought to shore up its vast territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea by building island bases on coral atolls nearly a decade ago. The U.S. responded by sending its warships through the region in what it calls freedom of operation missions. The United States has no claims itself but has deployed Navy ships and aircraft for decades to patrol and promote free navigation in international waterway and airspace.<\/p>\n

China routinely objects to any action by the U.S. military in the region. The other parties\u2014the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei\u2014claim all or part of the sea, through which approximately $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.<\/p>\n

Despite China\u2019s aggression, the long-simmering territorial conflicts should only be resolved peacefully, Aquilino said, and cited the Philippine government\u2019s successful move to bring its disputes with China to international arbitration in 2013 as a good template.<\/p>\n

A U.N.-backed arbitration tribunal that handled the case invalidated China\u2019s sweeping historical claims in the South China Sea under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing dismissed the ruling as sham and continues to defy it.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s main objective in the disputed region is \u201cto prevent war\u201d through deterrence and promote peace and stability, including by engaging American allies and partners in projects with that objective, Aquilino said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould deterrence fail, my second mission is to be prepared to fight and win,\u201d said Aquilino, who leads the largest U.S. combatant command with 380,000 military and civilian personnel covering 36 nations and territories.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n

JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA (Associated Press)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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