SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

U.S. surveillance imagery has spotted weapons [marketwatch.com] on artificial islands [soylentnews.org] 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 [xinhuanet.com] [single page [usni.org]], published on May 26th by the State Council Information Office, reveals that China is planning to project naval power beyond its offshore borders [bbc.com] and focus on "open seas protection."

---

Original Submission