South China Sea: ‘provocative US action’ could prompt faster Chinese military build-up
Beijing has prepared a series of possible responses to the rulings in The Hague, analysts say
China might accelerate its military build-up if the United States makes more “provocative” military moves in the South China Sea in the wake of an international tribunal ruling, military experts said.
Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said China had prepared a series of military options in response to rulings made by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague over the contentious South China Sea case brought by Manila against Beijing.
On Tuesday morning, photographs were posted on mainland military website Haohanfw.com showing China’s fourth 054D-type guided-missile destroyer Yinchuan joining the Hainan-based South Sea Fleet at 9am, just hours before the tribunal announced its rulings.
The Yinchuan joined three other 054D destroyers – the Hefei, the Kunming and the Changsha – which were assigned to the South Sea Fleet over the last two years.
As one of the most advanced Chinese surface warfare ships, the 054D, or Luyang-III class, destroyers are equipped with a long-range variant of the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile with a range of 80 nautical miles, posing a potential threat to US aircraft carriers.