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Does Taiwan-held Taiping Island need a longer runway?
- Facilities are being upgraded on the outpost, which some say could be used for warplanes
- But others say there are better ways to spend the military money
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Beijing’s military build-up of three artificial islets in the South China Sea has raised concern on Taiwan over whether it should extend the runway of its Taiping Island to handle bigger warplanes.
But opposition lawmakers said Taiwan would be better off completing an expansion of the pier on Taiping to accommodate all kinds of vessels, including military frigates.
Taiping, also known as Itu Aba, is encircled by Mischief, Subi and Fiery Cross reefs – three Beijing-controlled outposts.
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US Indo-Pacific commander John Aquilino said late last month that the People’s Liberation Army appeared to have completed militarising the three artificial islands, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets.
He said those efforts were increasingly aggressive moves that threatened all nations operating nearby.
In a report on Monday, the Taipei-based United Daily News quoted an unnamed source as saying the island’s security authorities had asked the military contract engineering company to complete upgrades on Taiping this year, including extending the existing 1,150-metre (3773 feet) airstrip by 350 metres.
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