China Speeds Up The Construction Of Military Bases In South China Sea, The United States Is Prepared

Satellite image of the Chinese military base on Mischief Reef. (Google map).

JAKARTA - Amid the rising of political heat in the South China Sea, satellite imagery shows China is building massive military bases on controversial artificial islands.

Cited from news.com.au, a report by geospatial software company Simularity has revealed what appears to be infrastructure for radars, antennas and what could be a potential military base on Mischief Reef.

Mischief Reef is a ring-shaped atoll, located 250 km from the Philippines which was occupied and claimed by China since 1995. In fact, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Mischief Reef was in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines in 2016.

The satellite imagery shows construction in seven areas between May 2020 and February 2021. One image dated May 7, 2020, clearly shows a plot of free space, which is now occupied by a 16 meter wide cylindrical structure that Simularity claims is a 'possible antenna-mounting structure'.

Satellite image of Chinese military base. (Google map)

Another image also shows a concrete structure with a round dome - a weatherproof cover used to protect the radar antenna - a nearby cover. At first glance this looks like a permanent structure for radar. Other sites are still under construction or have been opened for further development.

"They basically added survey lens equipment, it looks like radar had a lot of them on the reef from the start", Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines, told Philippine broadcaster ANC.

"The addition of the new radar seems to suggest that they are actually expanding the capabilities of this artificial island. And then that fact continues despite everything that has happened around the world, it really shows China's intention to actually develop these artificial islands into massive military bases", he explained.

Satellite image of a corner of a Chinese military base in the South China Sea. (Google map)

The Philippines said it would not remain silent if an incident occurred in the disputed region. Not just a protest, the Philippines is ready to take retaliation.

"If there is an incident, I guarantee there will be more than just protests, the Philippines will retaliate", said Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr.

The Philippines' ally, the United States, is committed to defending and helping to reduce China's aggressiveness to control the South China Sea. America is said to reject China's claims in the region, based on the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"The United States rejects China's maritime claims in the South China Sea to the extent that they exceed the maritime zone permitted by China to claim under international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of a joint defense agreement for the security of the two countries, and its clear application for armed attacks against Philippine armed forces, ships or public aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea", he added.