{"id":1392102,"date":"2022-03-21T13:29:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T17:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1392102"},"modified":"2022-03-21T13:29:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T17:29:50","slug":"u-s-admiral-beijing-armed-south-china-sea-islands-in-largest-military-buildup-since-wwii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-admiral-beijing-armed-south-china-sea-islands-in-largest-military-buildup-since-wwii\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Admiral: Beijing Armed South China Sea Islands in &#039;Largest Military Buildup Since WWII&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-admiral-beijing-armed-south-china-sea-islands-in-largest-military-buildup-since-wwii%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1392102&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino told the Associated Press in an interview published on Sunday that China had fully militarized three artificial islands built in the territory of the Philippines as part of \u201cthe largest military buildup since World War II.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The three artificial islands were built on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef, territories belonging to the Spratly Islands, an archipelago legally under the territory of the Philippines.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>China\u2019s presence on the islands is illegal regardless of the nature of its construction there. China claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, including territory belonging to the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as waters off the coast of Indonesia. In 2016, the Philippines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2016\/07\/12\/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-hague-case\/\">won<\/a> a lawsuit against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in which the court ruled that China had no legal right to be present in the disputed territories, including the three reefs Aquilino discussed this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese officials called the ruling a \u201cfarce\u201d and ignored it; the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly refused to seek enforcement of the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government seized the three reefs \u2013 as well as several others in another chain, the Paracel Islands, disputed by the Philippines and Vietnam \u2013 and built artificial islands that Beijing claims are necessary for weather research and surveillance. Chinese dictator Xi Jinping asserted in 2015 that China would not \u201cpursue militarization\u201d in the Spratly Islands.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_15876914\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/03\/South-China-Sea-Fleet.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>This photo taken on May 5, 2016 shows crew members of China\u2019s South Sea Fleet taking part in a drill in the Xisha Islands, or the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. (STR\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Extensive evidence since the completion of the artificial islands, including statements from the Chinese government, has suggested that Xi did not adhere to his promise.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/news\/ap-exclusive-us-admiral-says-china-fully-militarized-isles\/\">Associated Press<\/a>, Aquilino described the three artificial islands as equipped with completed \u201cmissile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe function of those islands is to expand the offensive capability of the PRC [China] beyond their continental shores,\u201d the outlet quoted the admiral as saying. \u201cThey can fly fighters, bombers plus all those offensive capabilities of missile systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The facilities, he warned, \u201cthreaten all nations who operate in the vicinity and all the international sea and airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think over the past 20 years we\u2019ve witnessed the largest military buildup since World War II by the PRC,\u201d Aquilino said, noting that China appeared to have \u201cadvanced all their capabilities and that buildup of weaponization is destabilizing to the region.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Multiple American presidential administrations have warned since at least 2015 that the Chinese Communist Party was seeking to build illegal military facilities in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has enthusiastically denied any plans to militarize the region for years. Xi Jinping himself denied such a plan in 2015 while visiting the White House.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cRelevant construction activities that China are undertaking in the Nansha [Spratly] Islands do not target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization,\u201d Xi <a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2016\/12\/its-official-xi-jinping-breaks-his-non-militarization-pledge-in-the-spratlys\/\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly before Xi\u2019s visit in September of that year, the\u00a0<em>People\u2019s Daily<\/em>, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, more specifically claimed that the construction in the region was necessary for civilian purposes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/11\/wi\/afp\/17\/disputed-claims-south-china-sea-afp.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18802346\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/disputed-claims-south-china-sea-afp-1024x682-1.jpg\" alt=\"AFP\" width=\"990\" height=\"659\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe construction of infrastructure for observation and communication is the first step towards enhancing and improving marine meteorological monitoring, warning, forecasting, prediction and scientific research,\u201d Chinese Academy of Engineering representative Ding Yihui <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2015\/06\/23\/chinese-state-media-south-china-sea-land-grabs-necessary-for-better-weather-reports\/\">told<\/a> the\u00a0<em>People\u2019s Daily<\/em>\u00a0at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Satellite images of the Spratly Islands <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2017\/07\/03\/3-jul-17-world-view-china-builds-illegal-surface-to-air-missile-sites-in-south-china-sea\/\">indicated<\/a> as early as 2017 that China was reinforcing its illegal claims in the region with military assets. That year, images of the three reefs Aquilino identified as fully militarized this week showed the presence of what appeared to be surface-to-air missile launch sites.<\/p>\n<p>The next year, as construction of the islands concluded,\u00a0China began admitting to military activity in the region.\u00a0The PLA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2018\/06\/15\/china-conducts-military-drone-testing-in-south-china-sea\/\">announced<\/a> in June of that year that it had engaged in military drills involving \u201ctarget drones\u201d in the South China Sea, without specifying where. The exercises <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/content\/1095121.shtml\">followed<\/a> formal military activities in the general area of the South China Sea in March.<\/p>\n<p>The admitted activity was significantly smaller than what U.S. intelligence officials accused China of. A month before the drone exercises, CNBC reported, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2018\/05\/03\/china-installs-anti-ship-cruise-missiles-south-china-sea\/\">citing<\/a> American sources, that \u201cquietly installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its fortified outposts west of the Philippines in the South China Sea.\u201d China also reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2018\/05\/21\/china-lands-heavy-bombers-south-china-sea-island\/\">landed<\/a> heavy bombers on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands that year.<\/p>\n<p>China has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2020\/03\/23\/china-debuts-research-stations-in-south-china-sea-while-world-battles-coronavirus\/\">maintained<\/a> its claims to civilian \u201cresearch\u201d in the area despite years of evidence indicating military investment. In 2020, the\u00a0Chinese Academy of Sciences\u2019 Integrated Research Center for Islands and Reefs announced the debut of a \u201creal-time monitoring system\u201d on Fiery Cross Reef, allegedly meant to environmental development and surveillance to predict earthquakes and other natural disasters.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18896602\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/11\/wi\/ap\/25\/philippines-south-china-sea-activists-hold-slogans-protest-chinese-consulate-makati-philippines.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18896602\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/philippines-south-china-sea-activists-hold-slogans-protest-chinese-consulate-makati-philippines-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Associated Press\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Anti-Beijing activists protest outside the Chinese consulate in Makati, Philippines on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021.\u00a0 (AP Photo\/Aaron Favila)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>China\u2019s claims to environmental research in the area are particularly difficult to believe given the ecological devastation of building the artificial islands in the first place. Environmental experts have been warning since at least 2015 that China\u2019s artificial islands would likely destroy entire habitats and destabilize much of the local food supply for people as well as animal populations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuilding new manmade islands on top of shallow reefs is smothering them with sediment, and turning clear water muddy \u2014 the environmental damage is substantial and unprecedented in scale,\u201d Professor Terry Hughes, a marine biologist who specializes in coral,\u00a0<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ng-interactive\/2015\/sep\/17\/south-china-sea-images-reveal-impact-on-coral-of-beijings-military-bases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">told<\/a>\u00a0the<em>\u00a0Guardian<\/em>\u00a0in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you built something, if you\u2019ve put dirt, rubble, and pavement [on top of coral reefs] \u2026 There\u2019s no way to recover that,\u201d John McManus, a professor of marine biology at the University of Miami in Florida,\u00a0<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/southchinasea-coral-10052020190143.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">told<\/a>\u00a0Radio Free Asia (RFA) in 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2020\/10\/07\/marine-biologist-china-forever-erased-coral-reefs-in-south-china-sea\/\">lamenting<\/a> that rich coral reef habitats were \u201cgone forever.\u201d<br \/>The construction may have destroyed critical fish stocks that help feed all of southeast Asia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf fish stocks collapse there, it\u2019s not just going to hit fisherfolk in Palawan and Luzon [Philippine islands]. It\u2019s gonna hit fisherfolk throughout the Philippine archipelago and everywhere in Southeast Asia,\u201d\u00a0Gregory Poling, director of Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2019\/06\/07\/expert-chinese-overfishing-south-china-sea-threatens-everywhere-southeast-asia\/\">explained<\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Follow Frances Martel on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1647946599108000&#038;usg=AOvVaw19U4Nmp2SjEx4vVmUN9RcO\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1647946599108000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1bgTt_eC_X6d1wJdF7_oqQ\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino told the Associated Press in an interview published on Sunday that China had fully militarized three artificial islands built in the territory of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1392102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1392102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1392102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1392102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1392102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}