Think tank map shows China's jets, missiles can reach Palawan
In this April 21, 2017 photo, corroded steel plates are seen at the end of the airstrip on the Philippine-claimed Pag-Asa Island off South China Sea. The Philippines started transporting troops and supplies to a disputed island in the South China Sea in preparation for construction work that includes reinforcing and lengthening an airstrip and building a dock, an official said Thursday, May 11, 2017. China protested the visit April 2017 by the Philippine defense and military chiefs to Pag-asa Island, home to Filipino soldiers and fishermen for decades, but which is also claimed by Beijing. AP/Bullit Marquez, file
MANILA, Philippines — The combat range of China's J-10 fighters and cruise missile previously deployed to Woody Island in the South China Sea can reach the Palawan province in the Philippines, according to a US think tank.
Washington-based AMTI Center for Strategic and International Studies recently released a map showing a projection of China's capabilities in the disputed South China Sea.
The think tank noted that since 2014, Beijing has expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the contested waters through the construction of military assets on the Spratly and Paracel Islands.
"These include new radar and communications arrays, airstrips and hangars to accommodate combat aircraft, shelters likely meant to house missile platforms, and deployments of mobile surface-to-air and anti-ship cruise missile systems at Woody Island in the Paracels," the think tank said.
The US think tank's map shows that the expected range of YJ-62 Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles can reach Palawan province and the northern part of Malaysia.
On the other hand, the expected radii of China's J-10 fighter aircraft have a broader range than even reaches the Sulu Sea and a larger portion of Sabah, Malaysia.
The AMTI map depicted Beijing's ranges of known high-frequency radar installations as 300 kilometers while the smaller arrays were shown as 50 kilometers.
"For the bases at Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi Reefs, fighter and missile ranges represent expected future deployments based on the hangars and shelters built to accommodate those assets," the think tank said.
Fiery Cross Reef (Kagitingan), Mischief Reef (Panganiban) and Subi Reef (Zamora) are also being claimed by Manila.
Last June, the AMTI released satellite imagery showing that China is nearly complete in the construction of military facilities in the disputed waters despite the warming up of Manila's relations with Beijing.
In July 2016, the Hague-based arbitral tribunal ruled that the three maritime features were originally high-tide features that do not legally generate their own continental shelf or exclusive economic zone.
Beijing, however, refused to honor the arbitral decision and insisted that they have indisputable sovereignty over the region based on their nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.
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