China Building Airbase on Nanji Island Between Taiwan and Senkaku Islands

China is building airstrips on islands less than 200 miles from the contested Japanese Senkaku Islands, according to a report in Kyodo News.

Citing unnamed Chinese sources, the news agency reported that several landing strips have been built on Nanji island, buttressing existing radar installations on the island.

“It’s a strategically important location because of its proximity to the Diaoyu Islands, it can provide support to the East China Sea air defense zone, and it’s a major naval point on the Chinese coastal defense lines,” Li Jie, a senior researcher from the Chinese Naval Research Institute told Bloomberg.

“It’s unarguable that China would like to enhance the existing military presence there.”

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