Taiwan asks Google to blur satellite images of ‘military instillations’ on disputed island in South China Sea
Structures on Taiping could be artillery defences, according to experts
Taiwan’s defence ministry said it is asking Google to blur satellite images showing what experts say appear to be new military installations on Taiping Island, Taipei’s sole holding in the hotly disputed South China Sea.
The revelation of new military-related construction could raise tensions in the contested waterway where mainland China’s building of airstrips and other facilities has worried other claimants and the United States.
The images seen on Google Earth show four three-pronged structures sitting in a semi-circle just off the northwestern shoreline of Taiping, also known as Itu Aba, across from an upgraded airstrip and recently constructed port that can dock 3,000-tonne frigates.
“Under the precondition of protecting military secrets and security, we have requested Google blur images of important military facilities,” Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said on Wednesday, after local media published the images on Itu Aba.
The United States has urged against the militarisation of the South China Sea, following the rapid land reclamation by China on several disputed reefs through dredging and building air fields and port facilities.