On Monday, the U.S. government made clear that it opposes China's runway test on Fiery Cross Reef within the South China Sea, a territory with disputed claims by China and five other neighboring Asian nations.
The Associated Press reports that US State Department spokesperson, John Kirby, released a statement, reiterating the call for China to stop land reclamation and militarization of outposts all over the South China Sea, particularly the Spratly Islands, where China, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, have overlapping territorial claims. Kirby said that to commence flight operations in the newly-built airfield within a disputed territory "raises tensions and threatens regional stability." He adds that the US government has "made this case clear repeatedly" and "will continue to make it." Kirby also urges the claimants to focus instead on reaching a compromise on acceptable behavior in disputed areas. The South China Sea dispute has also become a growing tension between the U.S. and China. Although the U.S. has no territorial claim, the government claims its involvement is for the purpose of national interest, in keeping peaceful relations with all the claimant nations, and maintaining free movement in the waters of South China Sea, which is valuable for world trade.
This reaction follows China's unprecedented move on Saturday, when it used a civil aircraft called "Yongshu Jiao," to test whether the new airstrip at Fiery Cross Reef meets civil aviation standards. According to CNN, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, announced that the test flight was "entirely within the range of China's sovereignty concerns," implying that Beijing considers Fiery Cross Reef as their own.
Vietnam strongly protests the action. According to Fox News, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lee Hai Binh, said that China's test flight went "against an agreement on basic principles for solving maritime issues between Vietnam and China." Binh adds, Hanoi asked Beijing specifically to end the move and never repeat it again. Beijing rejected Hanoi's protest. The Philippines followed suit in opposing China's action, but has still to issue a formal statement.
For the past few years, China has gradually asserted its claim to majority of the South China Sea by rapidly building artificial islands and airstrips that can accommodate military jets. In 2014, it started building a runway on Fiery Cross Reef, located on the western edge of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Reclamation activity in the area has turned it into an artificial island spanning 230 ha. (2.3 km2).
According to associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, Andrew Erickson, China already has two completed airfields in the South China Sea. Among the claimants, it is the only nation with an airstrip capable of accommodating a bomber. Erickson believes this as a sign of China's growing military power in the region, and that while its recent move was only a "civil test," China could start flexing its military might anytime soon.
