White House tells Beijing Hawaii is not the South China Sea

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday that as far as his country was concerned, it was free to deploy what it wanted to a geo-politically sensitive region in the South China Sea because it believed their ownership was not under dispute.

"I suggest to the media that, in your reports, you not selectively pump up or ignore things," Hua told a daily news briefing on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

"Because when you pay attention to what China is deploying, do you also pay attention to other countries which have over the years, on Chinese islands they have occupied, deployed many radars and advanced weaponry? I hope friends in the media can objectively, justly, rationally and calmly make their reports," he added.

Reports on 17 February revealed Beijing was installing two batteries of surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, located in the Paracels archipelago.

That followed remarks by Chunying on Monday, 22 February drawing a comparison between what China was doing and what the US does in Hawaii.

"China deploying necessary national defence facilities on its own territory is no different from the US deploying defence facilities on Hawaii," he said.

The day afterwards, White House spokesman John Earnest replied to his counterpart by pointing out that no other countries have claims on Hawaii, where as the same could not be said of the South China Sea.

Earnest also emphasised that the US had urged all parties - among which the US was not included - to resolve those disputes peacefully and avoid escalating tensions.

America wanted to insure that freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce were protected in the South China Sea.

Also on Wednesday, images published by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies hinted at the possible construction of a radar tower on Gaven Reef in another South China Sea archipelago, known as the Spratlys.

"Two probable radar towers have been built on the northern portion of the feature, and a number of 65-foot (20-meter) poles have been erected across a large section of the southern portion.

"These poles could be a high-frequency radar installation, which would significantly bolster China's ability to monitor surface and air traffic across the southern portion of the South China Sea," CSIS reportedly said.

Vietnam was rumoured to have placed less-advanced defensive systems on some of the Spratly islands, CSIS´s Michael J Green, Bonnie S.Glaser and Zack Cooper said in an article posted to the CSIS website and dated 19 February.

"What additional steps might one expect to see in the months ahead? Woody Island has served as a model for Chinese development in the Spratly Islands, particularly at Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi reefs. The placement of SAMs at Woody Island suggests that surface-to-air systems may follow on these three reefs as well," CSIS said in the same article.

In remarks to Reuters on 23 February, Admiral Harry Harris, the head of US Pacific Command, said China was "clearly militarising" the South China Sea.