A new satellite imaging firm out of Israel has noted an important step in China’s military in the South China Sea. A strategically significant island to the south of the Zhanjiang Peninsula, nestled between Vietnam and the Philippines, Hainan Island has been a hotbed of military activity as of late. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been busy building and enhancing missile launch bases on both the eastern and western coasts of the landmass.
The satellite technology used for the latest report is the ImageSat International (ISI) Eros B satellite and it has been determined (based on its direction and angle) that the deployment of missiles to the western edge of Hainan Island are surface to ship missiles, meant specifically to be used against vessels. This is an important note and leads our military intelligence agencies to greater understanding about not only the level of engagement but also the battle techniques of the Chinese missile program.
Perhaps even more interesting, according to ISI, is progress taking place on Yulin’s eastern side. “We’re seeing the building of infrastructure that wasn’t there before and what looks like preparations for shore-to-ship missiles, just like on the western side,” company spokesman Gil Or said.
China has been lengthening its arm of the military downward into the South China Sea, stabbing farther into the disputed waterways in order to exert its dominance in the region. The Chinese have stated on many different occasions that they regard those seas as being lawfully under their dominion and make no bones about it when it comes to sending their warships through those waters.
Many nations that send their ships through said waters, including the United States, have been challenged by Chinese warships and some opt to avoid that region altogether for those reasons.
One of the positive aspects of China’s engagement in this huge part of the Earth’s oceans is that it is, in fact, so vast, that dominating it would require a concerted effort by the entire Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO) and the current state of that league of nations is in constant flux. Perhaps, with the taming of North Korea in the near future, SCO’s military intentions may be more clear.
For now, China’s military is a small fish in a big pond.
Source: DefenseNews
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