China has installed long-range anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles on three of its artificial islands in the South China Sea, further solidifying Beijing’s military domination of the disputed waters, according to a news report.
US network CNBC on Wednesday cited sources with direct knowledge of the situation, saying that the deployment of the missiles had occurred within the past 30 days. If true, it would represent a dramatic military escalation in the region by China, which claims 80-90 per cent of the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
China has in the past said it would not militarise the islands. However, it has also said that the islands were its sovereign territory and it had the right to defend them.
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