Retired Major General Luo Yuan of the People's Liberation Army said that China is pushing through with the construction of an airstrip in the disputed area in the South China Sea, according to the state-funded news site Global Times.
The general's statement was confirmed by satellite images obtained by HIS Jane's Defence Weekly.
The location of the construction site, known as the Fiery Cross Reef, spans 3,000 meters long and around 300 meters wide. At these dimensions, the land is big enough to accommodate an airstrip, according to CNN.
The reef is part of the disputed islands being claimed by several nations including the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and Taiwan. Due to the international tensions caused by the dispute, the U.S. government intervened and told China to settle the matter through diplomatic means.
"We urge China to stop its land reclamation program, and engage in diplomatic initiatives to encourage all sides to restrain themselves in these sorts of activities," Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Pool of the U.S. Military said.
Following Pool's statement, China responded and said the U.S. should stay out of the issue, Business Insider reported.
"I think anyone in the outside world has no right to make irresponsible remarks on China-related activities," spokesperson Hua Chunying of the country's Foreign Ministry said.
Luo added that China's actions in the reef cannot be stopped by foreign intervention since the construction procedure is within the boundaries of the law.
"The U.S. is obviously biased considering that the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam have already set up military facilities," he said. "China is likely to withstand the international pressure and continue the construction, since it is completely legitimate and justifiable."
China maintained that the construction of the facilities on the controversial reef is meant to improve the living conditions of its workers who are residing there, Bloomberg has learned.
However, as HIS Jane's Defense Weekly pointed out, the presence of an airstrip in the disputed area can greatly boost China's military presence and power in the South China Sea. The airstrip may be a means for China to intimidate the other nations and force them to abandon their claims over the area.
