Golez: China militarizes big inside our EEZ. In 2015, President Xi promised Obama China would not militarize. Which means the world should not trust China's words. The Philippines should not trust China especially when it comes bearing gifts like a few firearms and ammos. Philippine Star INQUIRER.net
"China adds 4 new missile shelters on South China Sea islands"
"China adds 4 new missile shelters on South China Sea islands"
I quote from this UPI article:
1. "Beijing can "now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time,"
2. "Xi told Obama in 2015 militarization would come to a halt."
China has not followed through with its stated commitments.
3. "There are now a total of 12 Chinese missile facilities on artificial islands."
4. "The CSIS report also pointed out "very large underground structures" that could house munitions, appeared to be under construction."
"Large buried facilities have previously been built on each of the islands for fuel and water storage," the report stated, quoting a previous study from the Pentagon.
5. "Greg Poling, director of the CSIS initiative, said there also has not been "any slowdown in construction, including since the Mar-a-Lago summit" between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Now every time they put in a new radar or new missile shelter, it is harder for the world to get angry. They are building a gun, they are just not putting the bullets in yet," Poling said, according to the Financial Times.
6. Ely Ratner, a former adviser to Barack Obama, said unless China realizes there are "significant costs" to militarization, the country is unlikely to slow down buildup.
https://t.co/Lc74Hhj21r via @upi
China adds four new missile shelters on South China Sea islands
UPI.COM
| June 30, 2017 at 11:38 AM 
Since this image of Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands was taken in 2015, China has built a total of 12 missile shelters in international waters. File Photo courtesy of CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
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June 30 (UPI) -- China has built four new missile shelters in disputed islands in the South China Sea – a sign Beijing has not given up its ambition to broaden its presence in international waters.
Satellite images from the Center for Strategic and International Studies taken in recent weeks show China has not only constructed four shelters for missiles at Fiery Cross Reef, its military has also expanded communications and radar capabilities.
In February, CSIS' Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative identified eight shelters with retractable roofs at Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs.
There are now a total of 12 Chinese missile facilities on artificial islands.
The CSIS report also pointed out "very large underground structures" that could house munitions, appeared to be under construction.
"Large buried facilities have previously been built on each of the islands for fuel and water storage," the report stated, quoting a previous study from the Pentagon.
Beijing can "now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time," the report added.
Greg Poling, director of the CSIS initiative, said there also has not been "any slowdown in construction, including since the Mar-a-Lago summit" between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Now every time they put in a new radar or new missile shelter, it is harder for the world to get angry. They are building a gun, they are just not putting the bullets in yet," Poling said, according to the Financial Times.
Ely Ratner, a former adviser to Barack Obama, said unless China realizes there are "significant costs" to militarization, the country is unlikely to slow down buildup.
Xi told Obama in 2015 militarization would come to a halt.
China has not followed through with its stated commitments.
China builds new military facilities on South China Sea islands: think tank
Reuters
China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarizing the vital waterway.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said new satellite images show missile shelters and radar and communications facilities being built on the Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefs in the Spratly Islands.
The United States has criticized China's build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement through the South China Sea, an important trade route.
Last month, a U.S. Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in a so-called freedom of navigation operation, the first such challenge to Beijing's claim to most of the waterway since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
China has denied U.S. charges that it is militarizing the sea, which also is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Trump has sought China's help in reining in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and tension between Washington and Beijing over military installations in the South China Sea could complicate those efforts.
China has built four new missile shelters on Fiery Cross Reef to go with the eight already on the artificial island, AMTI said. Mischief and Subi each have eight shelters, the think tank said in a previous report.
In February, Reuters reported that China had nearly finished building structures to house long-range surface-to-air missiles on the three islands.
On Mischief Reef, a very large antennae array is being installed that presumably boosts Beijing's ability to monitor the surroundings, the think tank said, adding that the installation should be of concern to the Philippines due to its proximity to an area claimed by Manila.
A large dome recently was installed on Fiery Cross and another is under construction, indicating a sizeable communications or radar system, AMTI said. Two more domes are being built at Mischief Reef, it said.
A smaller dome has been installed near the missile shelters on Mischief, "indicating that it could be connected to radars for any missile systems that might be housed there," AMTI said.
"Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time," it said.
(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Bill Trott)
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