MANILA – China may be trying to establish a strategic triad in the South China Sea to effectively take control of the entirety of the disputed waters, an analyst warned Wednesday.
Former senior consultant at the National Security Council and former Magdalo party-list representative Francisco Ashley Acedillo noted that many defense analyst and experts have pointed to the possibility of China trying to establish this triad in the Paracels, Fiery Cross, and Scarborough.
“If they do that, they can cover the entirety of the South China Sea. They can actually control it 100%,” he said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) last week reported that China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea.
AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July.
Spratly Islands is located strategically where many trade routes pass, and China has already built military length airstrips on these islands.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/12/21/16/china-may-be-building-triad-in-south-china-sea-analyst