Photo points to Chinese anti-ship missile system on contested Paracels island
Analyst says shot appears to be of Woody Island, where a surface-to-air array has already been installed
A new photograph suggests China has deployed a long-range anti-ship missile system on a disputed island in the Paracel chain, its latest enhancement of military capabilities in the South China Sea, according to the magazine IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.
An image posted by a military analyst on Weibo on Sunday showed the launch of a YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missile with a radar dome in the backdrop. The analyst said the location was thought to be Woody Island, also known as Yongxing Island, the largest of the Paracels. Beijing has already installed a surface-to-air missile system on the island.
Jane’s said the image was consistent with photographs from a Chinese military magazine.
Experts told the Post that judging from the landscape and buildings in the background, the launch had taken place on Woody Island, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Three in four people on Woody island in disputed South China Sea are Chinese military
This followed a Fox News report last month that it had obtained satellite images indicating that the Hongqi-9 air defence system had been set up on the island.
A retired senior colonel from the PLA Navy said China had been planning to deploy the YJ-62 on Woody Island.