BEIJING — Defying a U.S. call to halt the project, China defended
its land reclamation in the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea
(South China Sea) on Monday, saying the work is for public service use,
although a London-based security group says the new island could host a
military airfield to intimidate neighbors.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the construction on
some reefs in the archipelago was to enable Chinese citizens working there to
"better perform international obligations in terms of search, rescue and
other public services."
In a recent report, IHS Jane's said satellite images taken in
August and November showed that Chinese dredgers had created a land mass almost
the entire length of Fiery Cross Reef, which was previously under water. The
security group said it is China's largest construction project in the island
chain.
IHS Jane's said the new island — at least 3,000 meters (9,840
feet) long — could be China's first military airstrip in the Spratly Islands
and might be aimed at helping Beijing impose its sovereignty claims over
neighboring countries that also claim the territory.
"This facility appears purpose-built to coerce other
claimants into relinquishing their claims and possessions, or at least provide
China with a much stronger negotiating position if talks over the dispute were
ever held," the report said.
Tensions have been rising as Beijing has grown more assertive
about its claim over the resource-rich South China Sea, which is also
crisscrossed by shipping routes. Its deployment of an oil rig near the Paracel
Islands triggered a bitter standoff with Vietnam, where a wave of anti-China
riots broke out in May, killing at least one Chinese worker.
In August, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed that all
countries with competing claims halt any provocative actions, such as land
reclamation, but China rejected the suggestion and said the tensions were being
overblown.
On Monday, State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke urged China and
other states in the region to be transparent about their activities in disputed
areas of the South China Sea. He stopped short of criticizing China for its new
construction but said such action could "complicate or escalate the
situation."
"It's the United States' point of view that avoiding certain
actions during the negotiating process would create a conducive and positive
environment," Rathke told reporters Monday.
Over the weekend, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool
urged China to cease the land reclamation project and engage in diplomatic
talks.
Hua told a regular news briefing on Monday that no country has
"a right to make irresponsible remarks" about the reclamation.
She said China has "indisputable sovereignty" over the
Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Vietnam and Brunei.
Hua said China has insisted that maritime disputes be resolved
peacefully and through negotiations.
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