China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a US&nbsp;think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarising the vital waterway.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington&#39;s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said new satellite images show missile shelters and radar and communications facilities being built on the Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefs in the Spratly Islands.

The United States has criticised China&#39;s build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement through the South China Sea, an important trade route.

Last month, a US&nbsp;Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in a so-called freedom of navigation operation, the first such challenge to Beijing&#39;s claim to most of the waterway since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump took office.

China has denied US&nbsp;charges that it is militarising the sea, which also is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Trump has sought China&#39;s help in reining in North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programs, and tension between Washington and Beijing over military installations in the South China Sea could complicate those efforts.

China has built four new missile shelters on Fiery Cross Reef to go with the eight already on the artificial island, AMTI said. Mischief and Subi each have eight shelters, the think tank said in a previous report.

In February, Reuters reported that China had nearly finished building structures to house long-range surface-to-air missiles on the three islands.

On Mischief Reef, a very large antennae array is being installed that presumably boosts Beijing&#39;s ability to monitor the surroundings, the think tank said, adding that the installation should be of concern to the Philippines due to its proximity to an area claimed by Manila.

A large dome recently was installed on Fiery Cross and another is under construction, indicating a sizeable communications or radar system, AMTI said. Two more domes are being built at Mischief Reef, it said.

A smaller dome has been installed near the missile shelters on Mischief, &quot;indicating that it could be connected to radars for any missile systems that might be housed there,&quot; AMTI said.

&quot;Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time,&quot; it said.

The think tank said new satellite images show missile shelters, radar and communications facilities being built

China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a US think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarising the vital waterway. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said new satellite images show missile shelters and radar and communications facilities being built on the Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefs in the Spratly Islands. The United States has criticised China's build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement through the South China Sea, an important trade route. Last month, a US Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in a so-called freedom of navigation operation, the first such challenge to Beijing's claim to most of the waterway since US President Donald Trump took office. China has denied US charges that it is militarising the sea, which also is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Trump has sought China's help in reining in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and tension between Washington and Beijing over military installations in the South China Sea could complicate those efforts. China has built four new missile shelters on Fiery Cross Reef to go with the eight already on the artificial island, AMTI said. Mischief and Subi each have eight shelters, the think tank said in a previous report. In February, Reuters reported that China had nearly finished building structures to house long-range surface-to-air missiles on the three islands. On Mischief Reef, a very large antennae array is being installed that presumably boosts Beijing's ability to monitor the surroundings, the think tank said, adding that the installation should be of concern to the Philippines due to its proximity to an area claimed by Manila. A large dome recently was installed on Fiery Cross and another is under construction, indicating a sizeable communications or radar system, AMTI said. Two more domes are being built at Mischief Reef, it said. A smaller dome has been installed near the missile shelters on Mischief, "indicating that it could be connected to radars for any missile systems that might be housed there," AMTI said. "Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time," it said.

China builds new military facilities on South China Sea islands: US think tank

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump agreed to honour the longstanding &quot;One China&quot; policy during a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, taking steps to improve ties after angering Beijing by talking to the leader of Taiwan.

Trump further unnerved Beijing over the self-ruled island in December saying the United States did not necessarily have to stick to the policy, under which Washington acknowledges China&#39;s position that Taiwan is part of &quot;One China&quot;.

The two leaders had not spoken by telephone since Trump took office on January 20.

A White House statement said Trump and Xi had a lengthy phone conversation on Thursday night Washington time. It came hours before Trump is to play host to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House and later, at his Palm Beach, Florida, retreat.

&quot;President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honour our &#39;One China&#39; policy,&quot; the statement said.

The statement marked a return to a more traditional US&nbsp;policy after Trump had told the Wall Street Journal last month that the &quot;One China&quot; policy was up for negotiation.

The two sides also signalled that with the &quot;One China&quot; issue resolved, they could have more normal relations.

&quot;Representatives of the United States and China will engage in discussions and negotiations on various issues of mutual interest,&quot; the statement said.

In a separate statement read out on Chinese state television, Xi said China appreciated Trump&#39;s upholding of the &quot;One China&quot; policy.

&quot;I believe that the United States and China are cooperative partners, and through joint efforts, we can push bilateral relations to a historic new high,&quot; the statement cited Xi as saying.

The White House described the call as &quot;extremely cordial&quot; with both leaders expressing best wishes to their peoples.

&quot;They also extended invitations to meet in their respective countries. President Trump and President Xi look forward to further talks with very successful outcomes,&quot; the statement said.

(Reuters)

'President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honour our 'One China' policy,' a White House statement said

US President Donald Trump agreed to honour the longstanding "One China" policy during a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, taking steps to improve ties after angering Beijing by talking to the leader of Taiwan. Trump further unnerved Beijing over the self-ruled island in December saying the United States did not necessarily have to stick to the policy, under which Washington acknowledges China's position that Taiwan is part of "One China". The two leaders had not spoken by telephone since Trump took office on January 20. A White House statement said Trump and Xi had a lengthy phone conversation on Thursday night Washington time. It came hours before Trump is to play host to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House and later, at his Palm Beach, Florida, retreat. "President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honour our 'One China' policy," the statement said. The statement marked a return to a more traditional US policy after Trump had told the Wall Street Journal last month that the "One China" policy was up for negotiation. The two sides also signalled that with the "One China" issue resolved, they could have more normal relations. "Representatives of the United States and China will engage in discussions and negotiations on various issues of mutual interest," the statement said. In a separate statement read out on Chinese state television, Xi said China appreciated Trump's upholding of the "One China" policy. "I believe that the United States and China are cooperative partners, and through joint efforts, we can push bilateral relations to a historic new high," the statement cited Xi as saying. The White House described the call as "extremely cordial" with both leaders expressing best wishes to their peoples. "They also extended invitations to meet in their respective countries. President Trump and President Xi look forward to further talks with very successful outcomes," the statement said. (Reuters)

Trump backs 'One China' policy in first call with China's Xi Jinping

The United States is pleased to see progress has been made with China on information sharing about cyber threats, said a senior US official on Tuesday during the latest round of cyber security talks between the two countries. 
 
Cyber security has long been an irritant in relations between China and the United States, the world&#39;s two largest economies. 
 
China and the US signed an anti-hacking accord in September last year, brokered during Chinese President Xi Jinping&#39;s state visit to Washington, including a pledge that neither country would knowingly carry out hacking for commercial advantages. 
 
The agreement marked an ongoing effort to repair relations after China withdrew from a working group in 2014 in response to the US indictment of five members of its military on charges it hacked six US companies. 
 
Meeting in Beijing, US Department of Homeland Security Under secretary Suzanne Spaulding said the focus on the talks was to make sure both sides fulfilled commitments made by the two presidents. 
 
&quot;We look forward to discussing the commitments we made with regards to not engaging in IP theft of trade secrets and confidential business information,&quot; she told reporters. 
 
A key element of the agreement is information sharing and establishing mechanisms. 
 
She said the two sides had been setting up email addresses to share information. 
 
&quot;We are very pleased to have temporary email addresses and very much appreciate&quot; working to set up permanent addresses, said Spaulding. 
 
Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun said that China highly valued the talk. 
 
&quot;We want to bring the discussions from policies on paper to actual implementation,&quot; said&nbsp;Guo. 
 
&quot;Both sides will continue to cooperate on cyber cases. I believe the leadership on both sides places emphasis on the issue and values participation. Xi Jinping has personally been involved,&quot; he further added. 
 
China, Russia and Iran are among what the United States believes are its most prolific and sophisticated hacking adversaries. 
 
US officials have privately blamed Beijing for a massive hack on federal employee records last year, which exposed sensitive personal information of more than 22 million current and former government workers.

Washington and Beijing pledge to keep refraining from political hacking and corporate espionage

The United States is pleased to see progress has been made with China on information sharing about cyber threats, said a senior US official on Tuesday during the latest round of cyber security talks between the two countries. Cyber security has long been an irritant in relations between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies. China and the US signed an anti-hacking accord in September last year, brokered during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington, including a pledge that neither country would knowingly carry out hacking for commercial advantages. The agreement marked an ongoing effort to repair relations after China withdrew from a working group in 2014 in response to the US indictment of five members of its military on charges it hacked six US companies. Meeting in Beijing, US Department of Homeland Security Under secretary Suzanne Spaulding said the focus on the talks was to make sure both sides fulfilled commitments made by the two presidents. "We look forward to discussing the commitments we made with regards to not engaging in IP theft of trade secrets and confidential business information," she told reporters. A key element of the agreement is information sharing and establishing mechanisms. She said the two sides had been setting up email addresses to share information. "We are very pleased to have temporary email addresses and very much appreciate" working to set up permanent addresses, said Spaulding. Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun said that China highly valued the talk. "We want to bring the discussions from policies on paper to actual implementation," said Guo. "Both sides will continue to cooperate on cyber cases. I believe the leadership on both sides places emphasis on the issue and values participation. Xi Jinping has personally been involved," he further added. China, Russia and Iran are among what the United States believes are its most prolific and sophisticated hacking adversaries. US officials have privately blamed Beijing for a massive hack on federal employee records last year, which exposed sensitive personal information of more than 22 million current and former government workers.

US sees progress in latest cyber talks with China

us-china

Us China, News on Us China, stories on Us China, articles on Us China, Us China stories at Wion, Us China news, Us China latest news

us china

China builds new military facilities on South China Sea islands: US think tank

Trump backs 'One China' policy in first call with China's Xi Jinping

US sees progress in latest cyber talks with China