South China Sea: Aircraft hangars, radar installed on artificial islands

[jpak]

Source: CNN

(CNN) Dozens of aircraft hangars and high-end radar capabilities on China's man-made islands in the South China Sea are almost operational, according to new satellite imagery released by a US-based think tank.

The new facilities will further establish China's military dominance over the highly contested region, experts told CNN, and could help China establish a controversial Air Defense Identification Zone in the area.

Images released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, AMTI, taken in early March, show nearly completed defense infrastructure on three of China's largest artificial islands in the disputed Spratly chain: Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs.

Each of the islands has new aircraft hangers, capable of holding 24 military aircraft, as well as several larger hangars that can hold bombers or surveillance planes.

<more>

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/28/asia/south-china-sea-islands-aircraft-hangars/

[IronLionZion]

1. Bannon wants war with China

maybe this type of behavior will be provocation enough.

The US Navy has stepped up activity in the area since Dolt 45 took office. They've been sailing carrier strike groups and doing flyovers basically daring China to do something. One day, they might actually do it.

They've also put more nuclear capable bombers in Guam, just in case.

[Marcuse]

2. Rising temps, Rising tides & Rising tensions

http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/spratly-submerge.html

[heaven05]

3. HARK!!!!!

are those sabers rattling that I hear? China, N. Korea, Iran, scared putzes running the WH and ruling this country :drums

[Baclava]

4. We'll arm S. Korea and Japan with nukes before any war starts

we got time

[heaven05]

5. we got time?

true....to listen to the sabers rattling....so true. Look it always starts with small provocations and nukes in S. Korea and Japan won't mean a thing when SHTF. You're right we got time.

[Baclava]

6. China's been building these bases for years - they want to own the South China sea

sub bases and airfields

[heaven05]

7. true

no doubts....and

[Baclava]

8. and...we can't stop them

China will own space shortly too

China's secret plan to crush SpaceX and the US space program

China's breakneck economic expansion may be flagging, but the country's ambitions in space show no signs of slowing down. Alongside ongoing efforts to rival NASA by placing robotic landers, and eventually astronauts, on the moon and Mars, China's government is increasingly looking to its burgeoning space sector to rival U.S. companies

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/28/chinas-secret-plan-to-crush-spacex-and-the-us-space-program.html

----------------------

China's New Space Station Could Replace the ISS

China has already started making moves on its plan to complete a large modular space station within the next three to seven years.

In late April, China will launch its Tianzhou-1 — “Heavenly Vessel” — spacecraft into orbit. There, it will rendezvous with the currently uncrewed Tiangong-2 — “Heavenly Palace” — module, which has been orbiting since September 2016.

Tianzhou-1 will serve as a resupply craft, and while it orbits Earth, it will dock with Tiangong-2 several times to test propellant resupply procedures. This exercise is crucial to the future of a large space station, since the facility will require constant resupplies of food and equipment for the crew. This mission represents China’s first big step toward building its as-yet-unnamed large modular space station.

https://www.inverse.com/article/29538-china-space-station-2024-iss

[heaven05]

9. yep

I have come to the same conclusion. Without war, they will not be stopped. Hegemony is the issue for them, plus with their practice of female infanticide for many years, other things worry the average chinese male also...I think. Well we will see the way things go I'm sure, sooner rather than later, now.

[mahina]

10. None of our business?

We are no longer wanted in the Philippines. Why would we imagine this is ours to protect from China?

[Igel]

13. Perhaps because

The Philippines aren't the only country there?

The US has interests in shipping lanes?

Because as we've seen elsewhere, kowtowing to nationalistic bullies enables and encourages them?

[mahina]

14. Of course. Nationalistic bullies...

I forgot.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliuokalani

[EX500rider]

15. She was overthrown 124 years ago.

Not really relevant as a rationalization for China's current illegal landgrab.

[mahina]

16. It's every day here.

Not relevant in your life, but it definitely is in ours.

[EX500rider]

17. It's 124 years ago here or there.

Still not relevant to China dredging in islands and trying to illegally seize the international waters around them, plus taking away territory that belongs to neighboring countries.

BEIJING — An international tribunal in The Hague delivered a sweeping rebuke on Tuesday of China’s behavior in the South China Sea, including its construction of artificial islands, and found that its expansive claim to sovereignty over the waters had no legal basis.


https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-hague-ruling-philippines.html?_r=0

[mahina]

18. You are missing the point.

Taking Hawaii was an illegal seizure that is maintained, and resisted, to this day.

See your notes on Vietnam, Iraq I and II, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Hawaii too. Do you think only America knows what's good for other regions? Do you imagine that people of other nations and races are incapable of making their own decisions?

The US can't take the moral high ground as protector of the world with any credibility at all.

Enjoy the view.

[EX500rider]

19. Every country rests on the ashes of a earlier country or tribal area.

[mahina]

21. Um, no. That is not true, notably here in Hawaii.

[EX500rider]

22. Very true there..

...the US State of Hawaii rests on the ashes of the earlier Kingdom.

As the Pacific islands were empty when Hawaii was discovered it's not surprising they didn't take it from anybody.

[mahina]

23. Your post sums up our differences in assumptions and perspectives nicely.

The nation of Hawaii remains and is the example disproving your assertion still.

The Pacific islands were nothing like empty brother. I'm sure you will be interested to learn all about the numerous populations from this region. Side note, those of us who speak Hawaiian can easily understand the languages spoken in Aotearoa, (New Zealand) and Rapa Nui (Easter Island), but not any Micronesian language.

Bye now!

[Blue_Tires]

11. China will have mafia control over every parcel of cargo

shipped on those lines, and Kuala Lumpur, Saigon and Manila know there isn't a damn thing Washington is going to do about it...

[keithbvadu2]

12. What is Donald going to do about this?

Trump's bff Putin buzzed our destroyer in the last couple of months.

What did Trump do about it?

[raccoon]

20. China wants the resources in the South China Sea, oil and maybe natural gas too (can't remember

about that one for sure.)

Michael Klare talks about this in his books, especially THE RACE FOR WHAT'S LEFT.