Alwaght- China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea, the Taiwan government and the US officials say.
A statement released by Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that it had first-hand intelligence that confirms the existence of missile batteries in the region, which is hotly disputed by China and its neighbors.
"The Taiwanese Defense Ministry has learned of China's deployment of surface-to-air missiles on the Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. The Republic of China military is closely monitoring further development of the situation," the statement said.
Fox News also reported it exclusively obtained satellite imagery confirmed by US officials.
“The imagery from ImageSat International (ISI) shows two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea,” Fox News said in its report.
According to the images, the missiles arrived over the past week because a beach on the island was empty on February 3, but it was deployed with the missiles by February 14.
The officials said the imagery appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system with a range of 125 miles.
The deployment came as US President called for the halt of the militarization of the South China Sea at the close of a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders in California.
"We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas," Obama said Tuesday after a two-day summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in California. "When ASEAN speaks with a clear and unified voice, it can help advance security, opportunity and human dignity.”
In a joint statement, Obama and the 10 ASEAN leaders demanded the "peaceful resolution" of a myriad of competing territorial claims over islands, atolls and reefs.
"Freedom of navigation must be upheld, and lawful commerce should not be impeded," Obama said. "The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same."
A senior US official told CNN that the decision to deploy while the summit was happening was a "further demonstration of China's attempt to unilaterally change the status quo" in the South China Sea.
The US has long accused Beijing of using territorial claims to gradually assert control in the South China Sea.
Beijing, however, rejects the allegations and accuses Washington of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the South China Sea.
