March 21, 2022

US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral John C. Aquilino said on Sunday that China has militarized at least three of several islands it built in the disputed South China Sea, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets in an increasingly aggressive move that threatens countries operating nearby, the Associated Press reported on Sunday. 

Aquilino claimed the "hostile actions" of China were in stark contrast to China's promise not to turn those islands into military bases. Such an accusation is not new. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had previously refuted similar accusations. 

Deploying necessary defense facilities on relevant islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands is within China's sovereignty and has nothing to do with "militarization," Wang noted.

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