Table of Contents
PRATAS ISLAND
- The Pratas Islands also known as the Dongsha Islands, are atolls lie in the north of the South China Sea.
- They are located about 170 nautical miles southeast of Hong Kong.
- Taiwan controls them and has declared part of them the Dongsha Atoll National Park.
- The People’s Republic of China claims them as part of Guangdong Province.
- Pratas Island is the largest of the South China Sea Islands. It is the location of the Dongsha Airport.
- The Chinese military is planning to conduct a large-scale landing drill off Hainan Island in the South China Sea in August to simulate the possible seizure of the Taiwanese-held Pratas Island in the future.
IMPORTANCE FOR CHINA
- Pratas Island, located in the middle of the route from China’s military base on Hainan Island to the Pacific Ocean, is strategically important for China’s advance into the Pacific Ocean.
- China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, was also deployed last December to the base on Hainan, increasing pressure on the Chinese military to capture the islet.
- Last Friday, Taiwan said a Chinese air force Y-8 aircraft had briefly crossed into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone. China operates the Y-8 both as a transport and early warning and electronic warfare aircraft.
US SUPPORTING TAIWAN
- U.S. electronic warfare aircraft have frequently been flying near Pratas Island to gather intelligence on the Chinese military, with some reports recording 13 flights in April alone.
US SUPPORTING TAIWAN
- U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has also been beefing up relationships with the administration of Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, and China regards the U.S. military presence as “joint military conduct with Taiwan.”
- Chinese People’s Liberation Army is becoming increasingly concerned about the growing U.S. military presence in the South China Sea, and such a drill could escalate tensions.
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