- Reveals a massive construction effort on Fiery Cross Reef in Spratly Islands
- The region is claimed by Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan
- China could use runway to carry out military operations, experts have said
- Follows other images of Chinese construction in disputed South China Sea
New satellite images have revealed that China has constructed an airstrip on a stretch of disputed territory in the South China Sea - and could be planning to build another.
They reveal the country's rapid progress in constructing the runway on the contested Fiery Cross Reef which the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all claim.
China's building activity in the Spratly Islands has infuriated neighbouring countries and the United States whose leadership accused the country of bullying others with its 'military muscle'.
Images reveal Fiery Cross Reef virtually untouched by man-made structures in March 2014 but by March this year, it had been transformed into an artificial island which could be used for military operations.
They follow equally disturbing photographs released earlier this month showing a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto another artificially-built island on the nearby Mischief Reef.
Construction: Newly released satellite images reveal that China has built a runway (pictured) - which could be used for military operations - in a dispute region in the South China Sea
Disputed: China has built the airstrip (pictured) on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands without consulting the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan who all claim the region
Territory: The area near the Spratly Islands (pictured) where China is constructing artificial islands is claimed by many other countries in the region
Serene: Satellite images from August 2014 (pictured) show Fiery Cross Reef as a virtually untouched and beautiful natural sea-structure
Controversial: Whereas just seven months later in March this year, dredging ships can clearly be seen around the artificial island which has virtually destroyed the reef
The worrying photographs were revealed by security analysts Jane's Defense Weekly who claim building work in the nearby Subu Reef could create space for yet another 3,000m airstrip.
And the same report suggested China was also working to extend a runway of that length in the Paracel Islands further north which is seen as a vital shipping route.
More than £3.3trillion worth of trade passes through the potentially energy-rich section of the South China Sea every year.
The United States' military commander for Asia has said China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on the outposts it is building in the region, which would give it the power to enforce an exclusion zone.
China's ambassador to the United States has said it was 'natural' that his country's reclamation work would include military defence facilities.
Cui Tiankai said there 'should be no illusion that anyone could... repeatedly violate China's sovereignty without consequences'.
Its actions in the South China Sea have been described as 'aggressive' by Senator John McCain, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
Show of strength: Other satellite images released earlier this month showed a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto another artificially-built islands on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands (pictured)
Force: Following their release, U.S. President Barack Obama accused China of using its military might to reclaim the contested territory in the South China Sea
He urged President Obama's administration to move more military resources into the economically important Asian region - and boost cooperation with Asian countries worried by China.
McCain claims Washington has a lot of work ahead to maintain its military advantage in the Asia-Pacific.
When any nation fills in 600 acres of land and builds runways and most likely is putting in other kinds of military capabilities in what is international waters, it is clearly a threat to where the world's economy is going, has gone, and will remain for the foreseeable future
John McCain, chairman of U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee
He added: 'When any nation fills in 600 acres of land and builds runways and most likely is putting in other kinds of military capabilities in what is international waters, it is clearly a threat to where the world's economy is going, has gone, and will remain for the foreseeable future.'
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the scale of China's land reclamation and construction is fueling concerns in the region that China intends to militarise its outposts.
They said: 'We do not believe that large-scale land reclamation with the intent to militarize outposts on disputed land features is consistent with the region's desire for peace and stability.'
Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki said China had a duty to address regional concerns And his Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yong stressed the importance of stability in the South China Sea for trading nations like his.
China's leadership has hit back at U.S. President Barack Obama who last week condemned the country for constructing an artificial island on Mischief Reef in another section the disputed South China Sea.
Worrying: A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the scale of China's land reclamation in the South China Sea (pictured) is fueling concerns in the region that China intends to militarise its outposts
Territory: China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country has 'indisputable rights' to the Spratly Islands (pictured) and it was 'protecting its nation's sovereignty'
Ownership: China claims the work is necessary to safeguard its sovereignty which it asserts over most of the South China sea
But a furious Chinese leadership hit back by claiming that Washington which possesses - and wields - the greatest military muscle.
Only hours before Obama's comments, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying added that it has 'indisputable rights' to the Spratly Islands and it was 'protecting its nation's sovereignty', according to the BBC.
She said the construction was to serve troops protecting the area, civilian activity such as search and rescue operations, scientific research and commercial fishing.
Before-and-after images from the area show aircraft runways appearing from jungle, solid masses where there was once coral and man-made harbours replacing natural reefs.
The country claims the work is necessary to safeguard its sovereignty which it asserts over most of the South China sea.
But the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have overlapping claims to the region.
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE OVER ARCHIPELAGO DISCOVERED BY BRITISH SAILOR CAPTAIN RICHARD SPRATLY
The dispute centres around hundreds of tiny shoals, reefs and islets in the South China Sea known as the Spratlys and the Paracels.
Several south Asian countries stake claim to the territory, though China tries to control the largest portion of the archipelago.
Beijing has claimed its right to the collection of land masses is 2,000 years old which, they say, includes the islands in Chinese history.
Taiwan supports its claim, and has its own airfield on the island of Taiping.
Vietnamese officials say their government has ruled over the land since the 17th century whilst the Philippines, the closest geographically, says the islands belong to them.
In 1974, Chinese forces seized the Paracels from Vietnam, killing 70 troops.
There were further clashes between the two countries in 1988, with 60 Vietnamese soldiers killed.
In 2012 China and the Philippines were embroiled in a lengthy maritime standoff over a Scarborough Shoal.
The Filipino military employed its largest warship for the dispute over the stretch of water which they call Panatag.
Upon boarding a Chinese military vessel for inspection, officials claimed they found live sharks, clams and illegal reef.
Later, Vietnamese border agencies refused to stamp passports asserting Chinese sovereignty over a handful of the islands and in January it was claimed China would be taken to a UN tribunal to challenge its stake.
China's first runway in Spratlys under construction - IHS Jane's 360
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3043227/Satellite-images-reveal-China-constructed-3km-runway-island-formed-disputed-ocean-territory.html#ixzz3XlVCbiNc
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