CHINA has deployed a military aircraft to a base it had built on a reclaimed island in the South China Sea, photos from an American think tank released Wednesday confirmed.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative published photos taken from April 28 showing a military aircraft, a Shaanxi Y-8, at Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands.
AMTI said the Y-8 was “designed as a military transport aircraft, but some variants are used for maritime patrol or signals intelligence.”
“This should be particularly concerning to the Philippines, which has about 100 civilians and a small military garrison on Thitu Island just 12 nautical miles away,” the think tank said.
Reiterating its plea for “diplomatic space,” the Philippines has yet to comment on China’s fresh move deploying military aircraft to a base it built over its reclaimed island in the South China Sea.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin on Thursday urged the government to take drastic action against China on its continuing militarization of the West Philippine Sea.
“The militarization of the WPS poses a clear and present danger on our sovereignty,” Villarin said. Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday aired his support for a Senate investigation of China’s installation of three missile systems on three fortified outposts in the disputed Spratly Island.
Senator Bam Aquino said he would file a resolution to look into the Chinese bases on Philippine territory.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has already filed Senate Resolution 722, urging the Senate to investigate China’s installation of missiles on three fortified outposts in the disputed territories.
AMTI said that, with the recent deployment, military aircraft had landed on all three of China’s airstrips on the Spratly Islands after a naval patrol aircraft also landed at Fiery Cross Reef in April 2016 and 2 Xian Y-7 military transport aircraft were seen on Mischief Reef in a photo dated Jan. 6. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Araneta
The Permanent Court of Arbitration has ruled in 2016 that Mischief Reef is part of the Philippine continental shelf.
Apart from the aircraft, military jamming equipment were also sighted in Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs. AMTI said the systems were visible in the satellite imagery of Mischief from at least mid-February, and were still present as of May 6, although placed under covers.
The American television network CNBC, citing sources close to United States intelligence, earlier reported that the Chinese army installed anti-ship and air-to-air defenses on the outposts in Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef.
AMTI noted that China’s deployments in the three reefs followed a “pattern” it also set at Woody Island on the Paracel Islands, where it has rival claims with Vietnam and Taiwan.
“From harbor dredging and runway improvements to hangar and radar construction, upgrades at Woody Island have served as a blueprint for things to come on China’s Spratly holdings to the south,” the think tank said.
Beijing deployed HQ-9s and anti-ship cruise missiles (YJ-62s) to Woody in 2016. Satellite imagery also captured five Y-8 aircraft on the island in November 2017, AMTI said.
“Considering that China has built identical hangars for combat aircraft at Woody and on each of the Big Three, it is likely that J-10s or J-11s will soon find their way south to the Spratly Islands,” AMTI said, referring to two kinds of fighter jets.
Satellite images from AMTI also showed that China’s destroyers, frigates, combat ships and patrol vessels “regularly visit the artificial islands, along with many auxiliary and logistics vessels,” underlying the presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and China Coast Guard in the area.