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U.S. surveillance imagery has spotted weapons on artificial islands in the South China Sea:
The U.S. imagery detected two Chinese motorized artillery pieces on one of the artificial islands built by China about one month ago. While the artillery wouldn't pose a threat to U.S. planes or ships, U.S. officials said it could reach neighboring islands and that its presence was at odds with China's public statements that the reclaimed islands are mainly for civilian use.
"There is no military threat," a U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. "But it is about the symbolism."
While posing no military threat to the U.S., the motorized artillery was within range of an island claimed by Vietnam that Hanoi has armed with various weaponry for some time, the American officials said. Vietnamese officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Chinese Embassy spokesman in Washington wouldn't comment specifically on the weaponry, but said its development work within the Spratly Islands—known by the Chinese as the Nansha Islands—was primarily civilian.
China's first white paper on military strategy [single page], published on May 26th by the State Council Information Office, reveals that China is planning to project naval power beyond its offshore borders and focus on "open seas protection." Additional BBC reporting.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Saturday May 30 2015, @04:00AM
I can imagine all of the 'China builds an island, then INVADES it to use as base!' type headlines coming soon for this.
On a side note:
This news, and related, recent news is starting to head in the direction presented in an old DOS/Win95 game I used to play: "Tom Clancy's SSN". You commanded a Los Angeles class nuclear submarine(boomer).
The Spratly Islands were featured in a lot of the missions, and where the conflict started in game.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2015, @04:03AM
Then INVADES to topple their regimes! Makin' the World safe for Freedom. FUCK YEAH!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Geezer on Saturday May 30 2015, @09:38AM
Fast attack boats like the SSN-688 Los Angeles class are not "boomers". Fleet ballistic missile boats FBM's) like theOhio, Lafayette, and Ethan Allen classes are/were boomers.
No citation needed. I used to help build and repair the motherfuckers.