SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The U.S. military has spoken out against the landing [cnn.com] of a Chinese military aircraft on a manmade island in the South China Sea. According to the Chinese government, a Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft landed to evacuate [globaltimes.cn] three seriously ill workers who would have otherwise required a time-consuming trip at sea:

China's apparent landing of a military jet on a man-made island in the disputed waters of the South China Sea drew protest from the United States military Monday. "We're aware that a Chinese military aircraft landed at Fiery Cross Reef on Sunday in what China described as a humanitarian operation to evacuate three ill workers," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told CNN in a statement. "It is unclear why the Chinese used a military aircraft, as opposed to a civilian one."

The United States, along with the Philippines have voiced continued concern over China's establishment of man-made islands in portions of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes for commerce, in areas claimed by the Philippines and thousands of miles from the Chinese mainland. There has been particular apprehension over Fiery Cross Reef -- one of China's man-made islands in the Spratly Island chain -- after the Chinese constructed a runway long enough to accommodate large military aircraft.

This was reportedly the first time [asiaone.com] that China has publicly admitted landing an aircraft on the Fiery Cross Reef.

Britain has called on China to respect the outcome [reuters.com] of an upcoming ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. However, the court has no enforcement powers.

Original Submission