The People's Liberation Army plans to "retake" the disputed island of Thitu in the South China Sea this year, reports the Manila-based Philstar quoting a report on Chinese business and political website Qianzhan.
Claimed by China and Taiwan but controlled by the Philippines, Thitu is the second-largest island in the hotly disputed Spratly chain. The island was formerly known as Tie Zhi in Chinese, but has more recently been known as Zhongye island after a landing ship from the Republic of China Navy which was responsible for recovering the island from Japanese occupation after World War II. It has been occupied by the Philippines from 1971.
The Philippines made an "arrogant" move after announcing plans to increase its military deployment to the island, according to the report. This new policy is an "intolerable insult" to China, the report continued.
Read the full story at Want China Times