A Chinese fighter plane has been spotted on a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea, the first such deployment seen this year, a US think tank reported on Thursday.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the J-11 fighter was visible in a satellite image taken on March 29 of Woody Island in the Paracel island chain.
News of the deployment came as US President Donald Trump was due to hold his first meetings with China’s President Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday and Friday at which he is expected to air US concerns about China’s pursuit of territory and militarization of outposts in the South China Sea.
“This isn’t a first, but it’s the first time in a year,” AMTI director Greg Poling said of the fighter deployment.
Referring to the single fighter plane visible in the image, he said: “There are likely more in the hangars nearby.”
Poling said it was unclear how long the plane had been there, but added that similar deployments on artificial islands China has built further south in the South China Sea’s Spratly archipelago now that military facilities had been completed there.
The United States has said in the past that deployments of Chinese fighter jets to Woody Island were part of a disturbing trend of militarization that raised questions about Beijing’s intentions in the South China Sea, which is an important trade route.
The Chinese embassy in Washington was not immediately available for comment. (Reuters)