Images point to possible Chinese base

BEIJING: China has installed a new platform on a remote part of the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea that could be used for military purposes, according to recent satellite images reviewed by a US think tank.

The strategic waterway is claimed almost in its entirety by China, whose continued building of military and other installations on artificial islands and reefs there has unnerved the region and angered Washington.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies said the images showed a ‘‘modest new structure’’ on Bombay Reef, topped by a radome and solar panels.

‘‘The development is interesting given Bombay Reef’s strategic location, and the possibility that the structure’s rapid deployment could be repeated in other parts of the South China Sea,’’ the group said yesterday.

The purpose of the platform and radome was unclear but it could be for military use, it said.

‘‘The reef is directly adjacent to the major shipping lanes that run between the Paracels and the Spratly Islands to the south, making it an attractive location for a sensor array to extend Chinese radar or signals intelligence collection over that important sea lane.’’

China’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands was not in dispute and there was nothing wrong with China carrying out construction work on its own territory.

‘‘As for the specific situation you mention, I have no understanding of it,’’ Geng told a daily news briefing.

Separately, an influential staterun Chinese paper said yesterday China should build more civilian facilities on islands in the South China Sea, to soothe regional fears about its intentions.

While a strong military deterrence was needed in the area, tthere should be more focus on building lighthouses, civilian airports, maritime search and rescue, scientific research and weather forecasting, it said.

China has said some civilian facilities on the islands are intended for use by others in the region, but the government has given few details about how that may work in practice, as the islands are offlimits to foreigners.

❛ The development is

interesting given Bombay Reef’s strategic

location