US, China spar over South China Sea

The Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies said recent satellite images showed that construction of facilities at Cuarteron Reef appeared nearly complete and that the artificial island now covered an area of about 52 acres. 

“Two probable radar towers have been built on the northern portion of the feature, and a number of 65-foot poles have been erected across a large section of the southern portion,” the report said. “These poles could be a high-frequency radar installation, which would significantly bolster China’s ability to monitor surface and air traffic across the southern portion of the South China Sea.” 

China’s foreign and defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, the US has strongly refuted the Chinese claim that what it is doing in the disputed South China Sea is akin to the US’ deploying of defence facilities in Hawaii, saying no other country has a claim on Hawaii. 

‘But when you consider the land features in the South China Sea, there are a variety of overlapping territorial claims that a variety of countries have made on those features,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday. 

His remarks came after Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that what China was doing in the South China Sea what the US does in Hawaii.

Recognising that Chinese government may have disagreement about the claims made by other countries, Earnest said, “That is why we have urged all parties who are claimants to these features - the US is not among them, to resolve them in a peaceful, legal manner and to avoid confrontation and to avoid escalating the tensions in that area of the world.”