RUSSIA (Washington Insider Magazine) – As the world continues to watch the Russian-Ukrainian war unfold, China continues to militarize and has done so with three of many islands in the South China Sea. This holds special significance, as this Sea has long been disputed for its boundaries and true ownership.
The full extent of the militarization is not known, but evidence has surfaced of Chinese military members arming the islands with jamming equipment and military-grade laser equipment. They have also been found to use anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems which could extend their reach to nearby nations.
The U.S. military commander, Admiral John Aquilino, stated that this was to be considered hostile. The developments were surprising even to top military advisors, as Chinese President Xi Jinping had stated on record that China would not militarize islands located in hostile or non-domestic waters. This agreement extended to artificial islands as well, which the militarized islands would be classified as.
Over the past 20 years, China has insulated its military structure more than ever before, according to Admiral Aquilino. This is the largest development that this generation has ever seen since the dawn of World War II, and we ought to continue to expect new innovations and developments within the Chinese front.
While this was gathered from U.S. intelligence sources and corroborated by high-ranking U.S. military officials, Chinese military liaisons have not yet commented on the new developments, further adding to the confusion and supposition that surrounds the islands.
After further investigation, Beijing officials state that the military arrangements that are currently going on are strictly defensive, with no sort of offensive purpose in the future. However, it is doubtful that this level of militarization is strictly to defend China’s sovereignty. Politically, it is positioned well and features a more developed military than Taiwan, making it doubtful that this is their true motivation behind the upgrades.
Behind the U.S., it’s been confirmed that China has the world’s second-largest budget for military defense. It has flexed this fiscal power to secure some of the top weapons systems available, including hypersonic missiles and different types of carriers and stealth fighters – such as the J-20.
The United States continues to conduct reconnaissance missions in and around China in accordance with international law. However, China hotly contests the ability to do so, especially over previously contested territories such as the Spratly Islands.
In the most recent mission conducted and led by Admiral Aquino, there were numerous different assets seen from the sky. The Chinese-occupied land masses featured several different previously unknown developments, including hangars, radar systems, and militarized facilities despite claims from China that it was not doing so in an offensive manner.
The very act and formation of militarized assets could be perceived as aggressive and shows that China continues to look out for its own interests rather than maintain a defensive position. Admiral Aquino was quoted, stating that he believes the main motivation of this rapid militarized extension is to lengthen China’s “arm” of reach into neighboring zones and countries in the case of future war developments.
