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| Former Reef now Island in the South China Sea |
China is likely to begin the militarization of its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea in 2017, Australian defense expert John Garnaut writes in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald on Aug. 31.
A senior official from the Australian government told Garnaut that China hsd won the first round of its battle for control in the South China Sea by completing the construction of an archipelago of artificial islands. The United States and its allies, including Australia, can do very little to stop China from winning the next round as well, the official said, and the deployment of US warships and aircraft to the region to challenge China's "unlawful" claims has proved indecisive.
Read the full story at Want China Times