[Source/Observer Network, Wang Shihua] Western media once again hyped up that China has deployed H-6 bombers on Yongxing Island.

Reuters exclusively reported on May 29th that commercial satellite images showed that the PLA landed two of its most advanced H-6 series bombers on the Xisha Islands this month 19th. In addition to the H-6 series bombers, the PLA also deployed at least two Y-20 transport aircraft and an KJ-500 early warning aircraft on Yongxing Island. Reuters said that it was the first time since 2020 that advanced bombers of the H-6 series were deployed on Yongxing Island. Reuters commented that the deployment of these advanced aircraft is the latest military signal sent by China to its competitors.

H-6, Y-20 and KJ-500 deployed on Yongxing Island

Diplomats and analysts told Reuters that these aircraft may have arrived for the first time on May 17th and stayed until May 23rd. Modernized H-6 can carry anti-ship and ground attack cruise missiles, and some H-6N types can even launch ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, so the deployment of H-6 has attracted close attention.

Collin Koh, a defense scholar at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said: "China's long-range bombers do not need to be deployed on the Xisha Islands to launch attacks, so this seems to be indeed a comprehensive signal sent by China to the Philippines, the United States, and other things happening."

Reuters linked the deployment of H-6 bombers to recent Western activities in the South China Sea.

French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a speech at the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue to be held in Singapore on Friday, while U.S. Defense Secretary Chris Miller will outline Trump's administration's approach to the region on Saturday. Diplomats told Reuters that just before Miller visited the Philippines in late March, satellites captured two H-6 bombers flying over Scarborough Shoal. At that time, he reaffirmed the "firm commitment" of the United States to its treaty allies.

In response to the US hype about the deployment of bombers on Yongxing Island, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense has repeatedly responded that the Xisha Islands, including Yongxing Island, are inherent territories of China. According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Chinese government announced the baseline of the territorial sea of the Xisha Islands in 1996. There is no controversy over the sovereignty of the Xisha Islands. Deploying facilities and conducting training on one's own territory is the legitimate right of a sovereign state, which is legal, reasonable, and justified. Relevant parties need not be overly surprised.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509793198911341066/

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