Subi reef, located in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, is shown in this handout Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative satellite image taken September 3, 2015 and released to Reuters October 27, 2015. A U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed close to one of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea on October 27, 2015, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing, which said it had tracked and warned the ship and called in the U.S. ambassador to protest. REUTERS/CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe/Handout via Reuters TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. MANDATORY CREDIT.

On February 22, report indicated that China is close to finishing nearly two dozen structures that are suspected to house long-range surface-to-air missiles on its artificial islands in the South China Sea. Analysts detected the building of these structures with retractable roofs, coupled with military length air-strips on the islands of Subi, Michief, and Fiery Cross reefs in the Spratly Island chain. The structures themselves are said to be 20 meters long, 10 meters high, and resemble other structures that house SAM batteries, said a U.S. intelligence official. This potential escalation of militarization comes after the Trump administration denounced China’s island building in the South China Sea, a territory claimed by several counties, and strategic for its maritime traffic and military positioning.

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Exclusive: China finishing South China Sea buildings that could house missiles – U.S. officials, Reuters
China completing facilities on South China Sea islands that could house missiles, says report, IHS Jane’s 360