Comments come after US think tank says satellite imagery indicates preparatory work on third airstrip in Spratly Islands, on Mischief Reef
China appears to be preparing for a runway on Mischief Reef. Photo: Reuters
Beijing needs to build a third airstrip in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands to meet its long-term strategic goal of being a true blue-water navy, Chinese military experts say.
Their remarks came after the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank in the United States said satellite imagery taken on September 8 showed China appeared to be carrying out preparatory work for a third runway, this time on Mischief Reef.
Mischief Reef is one of seven artificial islands China has created in the Spratly archipelago.
INFOGRAPHIC: We reveal the scale of reclamation projects in the South China Sea
Greg Poling, director of CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said the latest images showed a retaining wall around an area 3,000 metres long, matching similar work by China on two other reefs in the Spratlys - at Fiery Cross and Subi.
In this February 25, 2014 file photo taken by surveillance planes, a Chinese vessel is being used to expand structures and land on Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands. Photo: AP
A retired Chinese naval official who requested anonymity said the airstrips would help the navy to break the stronghold the US military maintained in the South China Sea, with help from regional allies like the Philippines and Australia.
"If the PLA wants to achieve its naval supremacy over the South China Sea [in case there is a war], it's a must for the navy to get air control over the Spratly Islands, which is the sole gateway for the Chinese navy to enter the Western Pacific," the retired naval officer said.
On June 28, satellite imagery showed China had almost completed construction of a 3km airstrip at Fiery Cross Reef, which China calls Yongshu.
The retired Chinese naval official said airstrips would provide comprehensive support for the navy's complex in Sanya on Hainan .
Security experts say 3km airstrips are long enough to accommodate both military and civilian aircraft, giving Beijing greater reach into the heart of maritime Southeast Asia, where it has competing claims with several countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines.
Vietnam agreed with Japan on Tuesday to step up security cooperation in the disputed waters. "I find it highly meaningful that we have shared serious concerns over the continuation of unilateral behaviors that change the status quo and escalate tensions, such as large-scale reclamation and building of outposts in the South China Sea," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a joint news conference, without naming China.
Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to their talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo Kyodo
Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, who is in Tokyo for talks, said through an interpreter: "We shared understanding that all the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means, using international law including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea."
On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated China's claim to "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands and its right to establish military facilities in the area.
Shanghai-based naval expert Ni Lexiong said the three airstrips would allow China's military to project power across the South China Sea, and formally enter the waters of the Asia-Pacific.
News of the work comes ahead of a visit to Washington next week by President Xi Jinping . US worries about China's increasingly assertive territorial claims are expected to be high on the agenda.
A spokesman for the US Defence Department declined to comment specifically on the assessment by the US think tank. But he repeated US calls for a halt to land reclamation in the South China Sea.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1858621/pla-needs-additional-runway-break-us-grip-south-china
Their remarks came after the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank in the United States said satellite imagery taken on September 8 showed China appeared to be carrying out preparatory work for a third runway, this time on Mischief Reef.
Mischief Reef is one of seven artificial islands China has created in the Spratly archipelago.
INFOGRAPHIC: We reveal the scale of reclamation projects in the South China Sea
Greg Poling, director of CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said the latest images showed a retaining wall around an area 3,000 metres long, matching similar work by China on two other reefs in the Spratlys - at Fiery Cross and Subi.
In this February 25, 2014 file photo taken by surveillance planes, a Chinese vessel is being used to expand structures and land on Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands. Photo: AP
A retired Chinese naval official who requested anonymity said the airstrips would help the navy to break the stronghold the US military maintained in the South China Sea, with help from regional allies like the Philippines and Australia.
"If the PLA wants to achieve its naval supremacy over the South China Sea [in case there is a war], it's a must for the navy to get air control over the Spratly Islands, which is the sole gateway for the Chinese navy to enter the Western Pacific," the retired naval officer said.
It's a must for the navy to get air control over the Spratly Islands [if there's war]
The retired Chinese naval official said airstrips would provide comprehensive support for the navy's complex in Sanya on Hainan .
Security experts say 3km airstrips are long enough to accommodate both military and civilian aircraft, giving Beijing greater reach into the heart of maritime Southeast Asia, where it has competing claims with several countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines.
Vietnam agreed with Japan on Tuesday to step up security cooperation in the disputed waters. "I find it highly meaningful that we have shared serious concerns over the continuation of unilateral behaviors that change the status quo and escalate tensions, such as large-scale reclamation and building of outposts in the South China Sea," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a joint news conference, without naming China.
Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to their talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo Kyodo
Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, who is in Tokyo for talks, said through an interpreter: "We shared understanding that all the disputes should be resolved through peaceful means, using international law including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea."
On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated China's claim to "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands and its right to establish military facilities in the area.
Shanghai-based naval expert Ni Lexiong said the three airstrips would allow China's military to project power across the South China Sea, and formally enter the waters of the Asia-Pacific.
News of the work comes ahead of a visit to Washington next week by President Xi Jinping . US worries about China's increasingly assertive territorial claims are expected to be high on the agenda.
A spokesman for the US Defence Department declined to comment specifically on the assessment by the US think tank. But he repeated US calls for a halt to land reclamation in the South China Sea.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1858621/pla-needs-additional-runway-break-us-grip-south-china
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