U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino told the Associated Press in an interview published on Sunday that China had fully militarized three artificial islands built in the territory of the Philippines as part of ‘the largest military buildup since World War II.’
While Russia may be grabbing all the headlines recently, do not think for a moment that Iran and China are not ramping up for some serious military action. Just last month, Two Iranian drones shot down over Iraq by American fighter jets were set to explode in Israeli territory. China, for their part, is slowly but surely preparing to seize Taiwan just as Russia has been attempting to take control of Ukraine.
The very first story we published on January 1, 2020, was about the historic joint war games that were held between Russia, Iran and China in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman—dubbed “Marine Security Belt”, and was a signal to U.S. forces operating in the region. Here on Day 736 of 15 Days To Flatten the Curve, it’s no surprise that we are still talking about Russia, China and Iran, and not only that, the very real possibility of WWIII.
U.S. Admiral: Beijing Armed South China Sea Islands in ‘Largest Military Buildup Since WWII’
FROM BREITBART NEWS: The three artificial islands were built on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef, territories belonging to the Spratly Islands, an archipelago legally under the territory of the Philippines.
China’s presence on the islands is illegal regardless of the nature of its construction there. China claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, including territory belonging to the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as waters off the coast of Indonesia.
In 2016, the Philippines won a lawsuit against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in which the court ruled that China had no legal right to be present in the disputed territories, including the three reefs Aquilino discussed this weekend.
The Chinese government seized the three reefs – as well as several others in another chain, the Paracel Islands, disputed by the Philippines and Vietnam – and built artificial islands that Beijing claims are necessary for weather research and surveillance. Chinese dictator Xi Jinping asserted in 2015 that China would not “pursue militarization” in the Spratly Islands.
Extensive evidence since the completion of the artificial islands, including statements from the Chinese government, has suggested that Xi did not adhere to his promise. According to the Associated Press, Aquilino described the three artificial islands as equipped with completed “missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities.”
“The function of those islands is to expand the offensive capability of the PRC [China] beyond their continental shores,” the outlet quoted the admiral as saying. “They can fly fighters, bombers plus all those offensive capabilities of missile systems.”
The facilities, he warned, “threaten all nations who operate in the vicinity and all the international sea and airspace.”
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