China install weapons on contested South sea
China installs weapons on contested South China Sea islands, Hong Kong (CNN) New satellite imagery indicates that China has installed weapon systems on all seven artificial islands it has built in the contested waters of the South China Sea, a move that's likely alarm the country's neighbors. The images, released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative , show anti-aircraft guns plus other weapons systems that would guard against cruise missiles sitting in hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs, which the AMTI began tracking in June this year. China has already built military-length airstrips on these islands, previous analysis by the AMTI, part of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has shown. The think tank said that the weapon emplacements showed that "Beijing is serious about defense of its artificial islands in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea."
