Beijing, Feb 18: China has positioned surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, a U.S. official said Tuesday, one of the most aggressive military steps so far by Beijing in a burgeoning standoff with Washington involving warplanes, naval destroyers and increasingly frequent public warnings.
The placement and timing of the missile deployment carried notable significance, coming as U.S. President Barack Obama met in California on Tuesday with leaders of Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial disputes with China. The surface-to-air weapons were detected on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Islands chain just east of Vietnam, which is one of the nations represented at the summit in California.
Vietnam claims Woody Island, known as Yongxing in Chinese, as does Taiwan. Located southeast of China’s island province of Hainan, Woody Island is home to China’s only large operational airfield in the South China Sea, according to Chinese media.
The U.S. official wouldn’t describe the type of surface-to-air missile, or SAM, that has been placed on Woody Island. But it is likely to be China’s HQ-9 SAM, the country’s new generation, medium- to long-range, active radar-homing air-defense missile.
China’s defense and foreign ministries didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported missile deployment.
In May, U.S. officials said a pair of motorized artillery pieces were detected on Johnson Reef, part of the nearby Spratly Islands chain. The presence of surface-to-air missiles represents a further step toward militarization, as the U.S. has flown planes and sailed boats near the islands to challenge China’s maritime and territorial claims.
