Chinese weaponry spotted on artificial island, U.S. says

SINGAPORE—U.S. surveillance detected two large artillery vehicles on one of the artificial islands that China is creating in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said Friday, heightening concerns that Beijing could use the land reclamation projects for military purposes.

The revelation came as Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in the region for an international security summit in Singapore where he is expected to demand anew that China and other nations halt all such projects. While scolding China for aggression, Carter is not expected to offer any indication of what the U.S. might do if the projects proceed.

The weaponry was discovered at least several weeks ago, and two U.S. officials who are familiar with intelligence about the vehicles say they have been removed. The officials weren't authorized to discuss the intelligence and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon would not release any photos to support its contention that the vehicles were there.

China's assertive behavior in the South China Sea has become an increasingly sore point in relations with the United States, even as President Barack Obama and China's President Xi Jinping have sought to deepen cooperation in other areas, such as climate change.

Pentagon spokesman Brent Colburn said the U.S. was aware of the artillery, but he declined to provide other details, saying it was an intelligence matter. Defense officials described the weapons as self-propelled artillery vehicles and said they posed no threat to the U.S. or American territories. Those officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The sighting was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Mira Rapp Hooper, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which monitors developments in the South China Sea, said that analysts have previously identified artillery on at least two of the Chinese land reclamation sites in the Spratly Island chain: Fiery Cross Reef, where an airstrip is under construction, and Gaven Reef. The transparency initiative is a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies

U.S. officials have been watching the rapidly expanding land reclamation by China, which is estimated to total more than 2,000 acres in the South China Sea. In its annual report on China's military power earlier this month, the Pentagon warned that five emerging outposts could be used for surveillance systems, harbors, an airfield and logistical support.