- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Tensions Swell as China Lands Civilian Plane on Islands in S China Sea

© AP Photo / Xinhua, Gan JunChina's amphibious ship Jinggangshan is seen during a coordination training with a hovercraft in waters near south China's Hainan Province in the South China Sea.
China's amphibious ship Jinggangshan is seen during a coordination training with a hovercraft in waters near south China's Hainan Province in the South China Sea. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Chinese foreign ministry officials confirmed on Saturday that a test flight by a civilian plane landed on one of the islands in the South China Sea, the first time Beijing has used a runway in the area.

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still file image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy - Sputnik International
Asia
McCain Blasts Obama Administration for Lack of Action in South China Sea
The landing was not a surprise, as China has been building runways on the artificial islands for over a year.

China's first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing's facilities in the disputed region are being finished on schedule and military conflicts will certainly follow, foreign officials and analysts said, Reuters reported.

Following China’s plane landing, Vietnam launched a formal diplomatic protest, while Philippines Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said Manila planned to do the same. Both have claims to the area that intersect with China.

Similarly, Senator John McCain on Monday blasted Obama administration for lack of action in South China Sea.

He said the President Barack Obama's administration was “either unable to manage the complexities of interagency national security decision making or simply too risk averse to do what is necessary to safeguard the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific.”

US Navy amphibious assault vehicles with Philippine and US troops on board maneuver in the waters during a combined exercise in the South China Sea. - Sputnik International
US Rhetoric Over South China Sea Militarization Far From Reality
In October, the Pentagon began conducting patrols within 12 nautical miles of the man-made islands.

The runway which is located at the Fiery Cross Reef is 3,000 meters long and is one of three China was building on artificial islands constructed from seven reefs and atolls in the Spratlys archipelago.

Regarding the test flight the foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was intended to check whether the runway met civilian aviation standards and fell “completely within China's sovereignty.”

Talking about McCain's remarks on Tuesday, she said: “We hope the US can take an objective and fair attitude, and not make statements that confuse the situation and are harmful to regional peace and stability,” she said.

Chinese officials have repeatedly said that the new islands would be mostly for civilian use, such as coast guard activity and fishing research.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала