"The Nansha islands are China's territory. In this regard, China possesses ample historical and legal basis," Wang said, using the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands.
China continued South China Sea reclamation despite halt claim -expert
China was carrying out land reclamation in contested waters of the South China Sea this month, more than four weeks after saying it had stopped such activity, a U.S. expert said on Tuesday, citing recent satellite images.
The evidence of continued dredging in the Spratly archipelago could complicate a visit to the United States by Chinese President Xi Jinping
next week, when U.S. concerns about China's assertive pursuit of
territorial claims in Asia are expected to be high on the agenda.
Bonnie Glaser, of Washington's
Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said images
taken in early September showed dredging activity at both Subi Reef and
Mischief Reef in the Spratlys.
The dredgers at
Subi could be seen pumping sediment on to areas bordered by recently
built sea walls and widening the channel for ships to enter waters
enclosed by the reef.
At Mischief Reef, a dredger was expanding a channel to enable easier access for ships, possibly for use as a naval base, Glaser said.
On Aug. 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China had halted land reclamation in the sea.
Speaking in Beijing
on Wednesday, Wang did not address the issue of whether reclamation had
ended or was going on, but said "necessary" construction work was to
improve conditions on the islands.
"The Nansha islands are China's territory. In this regard, China possesses ample historical and legal basis," Wang said, using the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands.
Glaser said China's activity appeared to be focused on construction for military use.
Images
of Fiery Cross Reef showed a completed and freshly painted 3,000 meter
runway, helipads, a radar dome, a surveillance tower and possible
satellite communication facilities, she said.
Security experts say a 3,000 meter strip would be able to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft.
Glaser
said China's apparent preparations to build similar airstrips on Subi
and Mischief Reefs raised questions about whether it would challenge
freedom of navigation in the air and sea in future.
"The
persistence of dredging, along with construction and militarization on
China's artificial islands, underscore Beijing's unwillingness to
exercise self-restraint and look for diplomatic paths to reduce
tensions," she said.
"On the eve of
President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, Beijing appears to be
sending a message to President Barack Obama that China is determined to
advance its interests in the South China Sea even if doing so results
in heightened tensions with the United States."
On
Monday, Greg Poling, director of CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency
Initiative (AMTI), which obtained the images, said three airstrips in
the Spratlys would allow China to threaten all air traffic over features
it has reclaimed there.
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