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China sends missiles to contested South China Sea island: Report



WAHINGTON/ TAIPEI: China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea, Taiwan defence ministry spokesman Major General David Lo said on Wednesday.


Taiwan's defence ministry "will closely watch subsequent developments," he said.

Tensions are now higher in the South China Sea and all parties should work on peaceful solutions, said Tsai Ing-wen, president-elect of Taiwan, which is a claimant in the disputed maritime area.


Woody Island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

The deployment, first reported by Fox News, could further raise tensions in an area claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.


Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "While I cannot comment on matters related to intelligence, we do watch these matters very closely."


The report comes as US President Barack Obama and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations concluded a summit in California.


At a news conference following the summit, Obama said he and the Southeast Asian leaders discussed the need to ease tensions in the South China Sea, and they agreed that any territorial disputes there should be resolved peacefully and through legal means.


A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel chain last month in a move the Pentagon said was aimed at countering efforts by China, Vietnam and Taiwan to limit freedom of navigation. China condemned the US action as provocative.




The missiles arrived at Woody Island over the past week, Fox News said. According to the images, a beach on the island was empty on February 3, but the missiles were visible by Febeuary 14, it reported.



The official said the imagery viewed appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system, which has a range of 125 miles (200 km) and would pose a threat to any airplanes, civilian or military, flying close by, according to Fox News.


Over the weekend, The Diplomat magazine reported that China was building a helicopter base at Duncan Island in the Paracel chain.



A state department spokeswoman responded to the Diplomat report by calling on all claimants to the islands to halt construction and militarization of outposts.



(Source :timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
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