BEIJING: China has for the first time landed several bombers on an island in the disputed South China Sea, a move that could provoke ren­­ewed tensions between countries bordering the strategically vital maritime region.

Several bombers of various types carried out landing and take off drills at an unidentified island airfield after carrying out simulated strike training on targets at sea, the Chinese airforce said in a statement on Friday.

Wang Mingliang, a defence expert cited in the statement, said the takeoff and landing exercises on islands in the South China Sea will help the air force “strengthen its combat capability to deal with martime security threats”.

The move comes weeks after US network CNBC reported that China had installed anti-ship and air-to-air defences on outposts in the Spratly Islands that are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, citing sources close to US intelligence.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2018