South China Sea missile tests aimed at boosting Beijing’s bargaining power, analysts say
- Beijing wanted to flex its military muscle as tensions continue to rise in disputed region, observers say
- With trade talks set to restart, show of strength might give Chinese negotiators a few more chips to put on the table
By test-firing anti-ship ballistic missiles in the South China Sea over the weekend, Beijing was flexing its military muscle and boosting its bargaining power ahead of the next round of negotiations with the United States, analysts said.
“When you’re about to sit back down at the negotiating table, you want more cards in your hand, and this was a tactic [to achieve that],” Shanghai-based military scholar Ni Lexiong said.
Maritime safety authorities in the city of Sansha – on Woody Island, also known as Yongxing Island, in the disputed Paracel group – issued a navigation warning last week saying an area of the sea would be off limits during a five-day drill, though it did not mention missile tests.
The Pentagon did not specify the type of missile fired, but observers have suggested it might have been the DF-21D, a land-based weapon also known as the “aircraft carrier killer” that has a range of 1,500km (930 miles) and made its first public appearance in 2015.