MAY 16 — In the past few days, tensions once again resurfaced in the South China Sea surrounding the disputed Spratly Islands, of which several countries — namely Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei — contest.

Last Tuesday, it was revealed that the United States Navy was considering sending ships and aircraft close to the disputed region, much to the displeasure of Beijing. Reuters reported that a US official said that the White House is “considering how to demonstrate freedom of navigation in an area that is critical to world trade”. China has maintained that it is committed to maintaining the peace and keeping free movements of the seas open. China claims the entire area as their own and that their presence on these islands are mainly for civilian purposes, with the military merely providing security. Although it is difficult to fully determine the true nature of such activities, interest by nations involved in staking a claim in the Spratly’s is predictably to secure oil reserves and fisheries.

The intelligence community is observing the construction of a major runway on one of the disputed areas at Fiery Cross Reef. The 3,000-metre runway, just 500 kilometres off the coast of Sabah, will enable China to accommodate its Xian H-6 strategic bomber, which has a strike range of 6,000 kilometres. This puts every capital city in South East Asia within range. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force can even go as far as the coast of Australia. This gives China significant tactical advantage over all of its regional neighbours.
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