China deploys anti-aircraft missiles on disputed island in South China Sea

Military officials in the U.S. and Taiwan have confirmed that China has deployed advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems on Woody Island, one of the Paracel Island chain controlled by China for more than 40 years but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. The placement of the anti-aircraft batteries — believed to be China's HQ-9, with a range of 125 miles — was discovered by civilian satellite company ImageSat International as President Obama was wrapping up an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Rancho Mirage, California, where one topic was de-escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi both defended Beijing's "right to self-protection" through "the limited and necessary self-defense facilities that China has built on islands and reefs we have people stationed on," and scolded "Western media" for focusing on armaments and not the lighthouses China has built to protect commercial ships. China's defense ministry told Reuters that the reports of new missiles was pure "hype" and that defense installations have been in place on "relevant islands and reefs" for years.

Analysts were split on whether the missile deployment was timed to disrupt or embarrass the ASEAN summit. "I think China has planned these deployments for some time," Bonnie Glaser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told The Wall Street Journal. “China has recently built hardened shelters for fighter aircraft on Woody Island. It isn't surprising that they are deploying SAMs to defend them." The analysts at Fox News, which first reported the deployment, disagree. You can watch the report below. Peter Weber

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