In Latest ‘Military Escalation’ China Prepares Deployment Of SAM Batteries On South China Sea Islands

‘In China’s latest test of the US response to its escalating claims of islands in the South China Sea, Reuters reports that Beijing has “nearly finished building almost two dozen structures on artificial islands in the South China Sea that appear designed to house long-range surface-to-air missiles.” Predictably, such a development will likely raise questions about whether and how the United States will respond, given its vows to take a tough line on China in the South China Sea. The structures appear to be 20 meters (66 feet) long and 10 meters (33 feet) high.
Official cited by Reuters said the new structures were likely to house surface-to-air missiles that would expand China’s air defense umbrella over the islands. They did not give a time line on when they believed China would deploy missiles on the islands. “It certainly raises the tension,” Poling said. “The Chinese have gotten good at these steady increases in their capabilities.”‘
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