OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA (AP) — China has fully militarized at least three of several islands it has built in the disputed South China Sea, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and warplanes in an increasingly aggressive move, threatening all nations operating nearby, a senior US military commander said Sunday.
US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral John C. Aquilino said the enemy actions stand in stark contrast to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s earlier assurances that Beijing would not convert the artificial islands in contested waters into military bases. The effort is part of China’s military muscle-building exercise, he said.
“I think in the last 20 years we’ve seen the largest military build-up in the PRC since World War II,” Aquilino said in an interview with The Associated Press, using the initials of China’s official name. “They have expanded all their capabilities and this accumulation of weapons is destabilizing the region.”
There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials. Beijing maintains its military profile, which is purely defensive and geared to protecting what it describes as its sovereign rights. But after years of increased military spending, China now has the second largest defense budget in the world after the US and is rapidly modernizing its armed forces with weapons systems including the J-20 stealth fighter, hypersonic missiles and two aircraft carriers, with a third under construction.
Aquilino spoke to the AP aboard a US Navy reconnaissance plane that was flying near Chinese outposts in the Spratly Archipelago in the South China Sea, one of the world’s most hotly contested regions. While on patrol, the P-8A Poseidon aircraft was repeatedly warned by Chinese callers that it had entered China’s territory illegally and ordered the aircraft to move away.
“China has sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and the surrounding marine areas. Stay away immediately to avoid misjudgments,” one of the stern radio messages said in a veiled threat.
But the US Navy plane dismissed the multiple warnings and defiantly proceeded with its reconnaissance in brief but tense moments witnessed by two AP journalists invited on board. “I am a sovereign immune United States naval aircraft conducting lawful military activities outside of a coastal state’s national airspace,” a US pilot radioed back to the Chinese.
“The exercise of these rights is guaranteed by international law and I work with due regard for the rights and obligations of all States,” he said.
Navy Commanding Officer Joel Martinez, who led the crew of the P-8A Poseidon, said there was an incident when a Chinese jet flew close by a US plane in a dangerous maneuver in the disputed region. The US flight crew calmly reminded the Chinese to comply with flight safety regulations, he said.
As the P-8A Poseidon flew as low as 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) near the Chinese-held reefs, some appeared on screens such as small towns with multi-story buildings, warehouses, hangars, seaports, airstrips, and white-round structures that Aquilino said were radars . More than 40 unspecified ships were seen near Fiery Cross, apparently at anchor.
Aquilino said construction of missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross appears to be complete, but it remains to be seen whether China will continue building military infrastructure in other areas.
“The function of these islands is to extend the PRC’s offensive capability beyond its continental shores,” he said. “You can fly fighters, bombers, and all the offensive capabilities of missile systems.”
He said any military and civilian aircraft flying over the disputed waterway could easily come within range of the Chinese islands’ missile system.
“So that’s the threat that exists, that’s why it’s so concerning for the militarization of these islands,” he said. “They threaten all nations operating nearby, as well as all international sea and airspace.”
Questioned during her daily briefing on reports of China’s militarization of islands, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki referred questions to the Department of Defense, but added, “Obviously, any escalating action in the South China Sea would worry us.”
Nearly a decade ago, China attempted to shore up its vast territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea by establishing island bases on coral atolls. The US responded by sending its warships through the region on freedom of operations missions. The United States has no claims of its own, but has used naval ships and aircraft to patrol and promote free navigation of international waterways and airspace for decades.
China routinely opposes any US military action in the region. The other parties — the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei — claim all or part of the sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of goods are shipped each year.
Despite China’s aggression, long-simmering territorial disputes should only be resolved peacefully, Aquilino said, citing the Philippine government’s successful move to bring its disputes with China to international arbitration in 2013 as a good template.
A United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal hearing the case refuted China’s wide-ranging historical claims in the South China Sea under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing dismissed the verdict as a sham and continues to oppose it.
Washington’s primary goal in the disputed region is to “prevent war” through deterrence and promote peace and stability, including by involving American allies and partners in projects toward that goal, Aquilino said.
“Should deterrence fail, my second mission is to be ready to fight and win,” said Aquilino, who leads the largest US combat force with 380,000 troops and civilians covering 36 nations and territories.
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Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.