China defends installation of defensive facilities in South China Sea

World Today

China appears to have installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on the islands in the strategically vital South China Sea, a U.S. security think tank says.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report Wednesday that the anti-aircraft guns and close-in weapons systems designed to guard against missile attack have been placed on all seven of China’s islands.

CCTV’s Jessica Stone reports on the latest.

They are in the Nansha Island chain, where several countries have overlapping territorial claims.

“The South China Sea islands are China’s inherent territory. It’s completely normal for China to carry out facility construction and deploy necessary territory defense facilities on its own land. As is admitted by the international law, this is the normal right of a sovereign country,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said during a briefing Thursday.

CSIS based its conclusions on satellite images taken in mid-to-late November.

In a statement, China’s Defense Ministry repeated that development on the islands was mainly for civilian purposes, but added that defensive measures were “appropriate and legal.”

“If anyone flexes muscle in front of your house, shouldn’t you prepare a bow and arrow?” the information bureau of China’s Defense Ministry said.


Nong Hong talks about China’s defensive facilities in the South China Sea

To discuss China’s recent defensive move in the South China Sea, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke with Nong Hong, executive director and senior fellow for the Institute for China-America Studies, USA.