US think-tank claims China installed weapons in seven reefs at West Philippine Sea
A US think-tank claimed that satellite images showed China has installed weapons, including anti-aircraft guns and possible close in weapon system in all seven features and reefs it has reclaimed in the West Philippine Sea.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said on its website Tuesday it began tracking the construction of “identical, hexagon-shaped structures” at Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in June and July.
“It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at China’s smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron Reefs,” the report said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday authorities are verifying this report.
“We are verifying. But if true it is a big concern for us and the international community who use the South China Sea lanes for trade,” Lorenzana said.
“It would mean that the Chinese are militarizing the area, which is not good,” he added.
The report said the images shows that China has much larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reef.
“Each of these four structures, consisting of tiered hexagonal towers oriented toward the sea. They are positioned so that any anti-aircraft guns and CIWS installations placed on them would cover all approaches to the base with overlapping fields of fire,” the report said.
“Earlier AMTI imagery of the construction of these buildings showed that each included six hexagonal structures in a ring around a central tower. Since then, three of the outer hexagons have been buried, while the others have been built in a tiered pattern, with those in the front (facing outward), built lower than those behind,” it noted.
It said “all of the structures except one at Fiery Cross are also backed by an even taller tower consisting of several terraces. “
“These towers likely contain targeting radar and other systems necessary for the operation of advanced point defenses. The structure at Fiery Cross lacking this tower is built alongside the base’s runway and may be connected to radar and communications systems at the airport,” the report stated.
It also noted the weapons installed in the seven reclaimed features “show that Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea.”
“Among other things, they would be the last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the United States or others against these soon-to-be-operational air bases. They would back up the defensive umbrella provided by a future deployment to the Spratlys of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms, such as the HQ-9 deployed to Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. Such a deployment could happen at any time,” the report said.
The reclamation of the seven features claimed by China in South China Sea started around three years ago after the standoff between Philippine and China in Scarborough shoal on 2012. Robina Asido/DMS
