Top Chinese military officer visited troops stationed on disputed islands, Beijing says
Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, carried out recent inspection, Defence Ministry announces
The Chinese military’s No 2 paid an unprecedented visit to Beijing’s artificial islands in the South China Sea in recent days, the defence ministry said on Friday.
General Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the body governing the PLA and chaired by President Xi Jinping, led a delegation to inspect construction on the islands, the ministry said in a brief statement. The works included lighthouses, weather stations and other facilities, it said.
China has seven reclaimed reefs in the contested waters and says the outposts are largely for civilian purposes.
The ministry did not specify which ones Fan visited or the exact date, but the inspection coincided with joint military drills the United States is conducting in the area with the Philippines, Japan and Australia. Fan is the most senior Chinese military official known to have visited the islands. In September 2014, Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the PLA Navy, inspected reclamation work in the region, according to a report from Taiwan’s national security bureau.
The ministry’s announcement came as US Defence Secretary Ash Carter visited the US aircraft carrier the USS John C. Stennis, a move likely to upset Beijing. On Thursday, Carter announced an enhanced “military alliance” between the US and the Philippines, and expressed his concerns over China’s activities in the South China Sea.
It is the second time he has visited a carrier deployed the area. In November, he landed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its territory and has built runways on several artificial islands as well as installed military facilities and stationed troops there.
The Philippines, Vietnam and other nations claim territory controlled or claimed by China and increased military and coastguard deployments by all sides could increase the potential for conflict.
Beijing denounced the four-nation drills, which began on April 4 and were due to last 11 days, as well as joint patrols the Philippines and the US planned to conduct in the area.
China vowed to “resolutely defend” its interests in the waters and accused Washington and Manila of “militarising the region” and harbouring a “cold war mentality”.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s foreign ministry said it had asked China to withdraw fighter jets that Beijing had recently sent to the disputed Paracel Islands.
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters
