A study in which the legitimacy of China's maritime assertions in the South China Sea was branded as "inconsistent with international law," was recently published. The study highlights how China has fully militarized 3 islands in the South China Sea.
According to Adm. John Aquilino, chief of US Indo-Pacific Command, China has completely militarized at least three of the islands it constructed in the contentious South China Sea.
“I think over the past 20 years, we’ve witnessed the largest military buildup since World War II by the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” Aquilino told The Associated Press. “They have advanced all their capabilities and that buildup of weaponization is destabilizing to the region.”
According to Aquilino, China has armed Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile devices, as well as laser and jamming technology and aircraft hangars. He went on to say that the missile systems could readily...