The tension caused by territorial disputes in the South China Sea seems unlikely to ease in the near future, given the almost-completion of Chinese runways on reclaimed land and Beijing's possible deployment of J-11 fighter jets there, according to a Hong Kong newspaper report.
If China goes ahead, the deployment in the Spratly islands, which China and Taiwan call Nansha, "would dramatically extend the reach of the nation's military beyond its southernmost base at Sanya on Hainan island," said the June 21 report published in the English-language South China Morning Post, citing unnamed analysts.
However, the report said the jets, built based on the Soviet-designed Su-27, would be limited to a defensive role because it is an older model outclassed by aircraft in the US Air Force.
Read the full story at Want China Times