China has set up a sophisticated surface-to-air missile system on Woody Island in the disputed area of the South China Sea, satellite imagery suggests.
The photograph shows two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on the island, says Fox News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Woody Island is claimed jointly by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and forms part of the Paracel Island chain, which was the site of a show of force by the US navy several weeks ago. In an operation, described by the United States as a "freedom of navigation" exercise, an armed destroyer sailed close to the islands.
The revelation of China's missile deployment, which was later confirmed by the Taiwanese defence ministry, will "reverberate through an Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] leaders meeting in California, hosted by Barack Obama", says The Guardian.
According to a US military official, the missile battery "would pose a threat to any airplanes, civilians or military, flying close by".
President Obama has said the US will "continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows", while the US Department of Defence called on "all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction and militarisation of features in the South China Sea".
A Chinese official said: "Deploying necessary national defence facilities on its own territory is China's exercise of self-preservation and defence, a right granted by international law to sovereign states. It does not impede freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea that all countries are entitled to under international law."
-
Libya's 'curious' football cup, played in Italy to empty stadiumsUnder The Radar 'Curious collaboration' saw Al-Ahli Tripoli crowned league champions in Milan before a handful of spectators
-
What taxes do you pay on a home sale?The Explainer Some people — though not many — will need to pay capital gains taxes upon selling their home
-
Schools: The return of a dreaded fitness testFeature Donald Trump is bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to classrooms nationwide
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
