By Shannon Tiezzi
The Foreign Ministry confirms that China will establish “necessary military facilities” in the South China Sea.
During his state visit to the United States last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping famously pledged that “China does not intend to pursue militarization” on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. This sparked a wave of analysis over what, precisely, Xi meant, given that there is are widespread expectations (both from other South China Sea claimants and the United States) that China will use newly constructed facilities in the Spratlys to host military assets (from combat aircraft to naval vessels and possibly even missile systems).
We received some slight clarification this week from China’s Foreign Ministry. Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that “There is no such thing [as] China ‘militarizing’ relevant islands and reefs” in the South China Sea. “Construction carried out by the Chinese side on relevant islands and reefs of the Nansha [Spratly] Islands is mainly to satisfy civilian needs,” Hua said, pointing to two recently completed lighthouses on Cuarteron and Johnson South Reefs.
However, she also admitted that “there certainly are a limited amount of necessary military facilities for defense purposes only” as part of the construction on Chinese-held islands. This aligns with previous Chinese statements on the purpose of construction in the South China Sea: mainly for civilian purposes, but with the acknowledged goal of “better safeguarding [China’s] territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat