Washington, May 3: China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, US news network CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing sources with direct knowledge of US intelligence reports.
The installations, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly islands, where several Asian countries including Vietnam and Taiwan have rival claims.
China has made no mention of any missile deployments but says its military facilities in the island are purely defensive, and that it can do what it likes on its own territory.
China’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest report. The foreign ministry said China has irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly islands and that its necessary defensive deployments were for national security needs and not aimed at any country.
“Those who do not intend to be aggressive have no need to be worried or scared,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing. China “hopes relevant parties can objectively and calmly view this”, she added.
CNBC quoted unnamed sources as saying that according to US intelligence assessments, the missiles were moved to Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef within the past 30 days.
The US defense department, which opposes China’s installation of military facilities on outposts it has built up in the South China Sea, declined comment. “We don’t comment on matters of intelligence,” a spokesman said.
Greg Poling, a South China Sea expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said deploying missiles on the outposts would be important. “These would be the first missiles in the Spratlys, either surface to air, or anti-ship,” he said.
He added that such deployments were expected as China built missile shelters on the reefs last year and already deployed such missile systems on Woody Island further to the north.
Reuters
