Dear MEL Topic Readers,
China conducts successful test flights at newly-built airfield in South
China Sea
The Spratly Islands, or the Nansha Islands in Chinese, comprise more
than 30,000 islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The disputed archipelago
lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. The
area is particularly important as shipping lanes as well as rich maritime resources.
China started constructing an airfield at one of those reefs in April
2015 and completed it in September. The runway is over 3,000 meters in length,
long enough to land virtually any aircraft. It is not acceptable by
international law to build an artificial land like this and claim it as one’s
territory. However, despite the criticism not only by the countries around the
sea but also from the world community, China had two aircraft land at the runway
on Jan. 6, 2016. They claimed they had successfully carried out test fights to
a newly-built airfield on a South China Sea reef that was completely within
China's sovereignty.
Does it make any difference whether to use a civilian or military
aircraft to land at such a disputed runway?
Enjoy reading and learning another territorial move in the South China
Sea by a member of the UN Security Council.
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