Photo: AP / Bullit Marquez
New analysis uncovered that Beijing may have removed missile systems which were erected on an island in the South China Sea, even though China accused the United States military of sending "attacking weapons" to the disputed region, according to CNN.
The deployment was first discovered in May, sparking anger from a number of countries in the region and from Washington who rebuked China for the "militarization" of the sea, which Beijing has claimed as its own.
The U.S. also conducted a B-52 flyover of the disputed Spratly Islands this week, which they said was part of a "routine training mission."
The new analysis from Israeli intelligence firm ImageSat International (ISI) found that the Chinese missile systems were either removed or relocated from the island.
Beijing said on Wednesday the U.S. was militarizing the region, not China.
"I hope the US can explain to everyone: Isn't it militarization when you send attacking weapons like the B-52 bombers to the South China Sea? Were the B-52s there for freedom of navigation and overflight? If someone frequently flexes his muscles or snoops around near your house, shouldn't you raise your alertness and improve your defense capabilities?" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference.
"China will not be intimidated by any planes or ships. We will only be firmer in our resolve to take all necessary measures to safeguard our sovereignty and security as well as maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea."
Satellite imagery from earlier this year showed a number of missile launchers and a radar system installed but covered in camouflage netting into the disputed Woody Island in the Paracel chain.
But the most recent imagery shows those have disappeared.
ISI said it could be a sign Beijing removed or redeployed them to other parts of the South China Sea.
"On the other hand, it may be a regular practice," the firm said. "If so, within the next few days we may observe a redeployment in the same area."
Other analysts echoed that sentiment since they argued the missiles were not suited to deployment for an area where they could be vulnerable to potential saltwater damage.
The U.S. military said the Chinese military was recently deploying anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems, and electronic communications jammers in the Spratly Islands.
China also recently landed a nuclear-capable H-6K bomber aircraft on Woody Island for the first time this year.
China dismissed objections from the U.S. and other countries about the deployment of missile launchers in the South China Sea, claiming they were "necessary national defense facilities" and that China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the territory.
The U.S. disinvited China from a major maritime naval exercise in the Pacific which involved more than 20 countries.
"Despite China's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion," US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said at a summit in Singapore this week.
"Make no mistake: America is in the Indo-Pacific to stay. This is our priority theater."
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
