China building airstrip on disputed island, satellite images suggest

News Snapshot:

China may be constructing an airstrip on a disputed island in the South China Sea that is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, satellite images suggest. Pictures of Triton Island, one of the major islands in the Paracel group, appear to show the construction of a runway of more than 600 metres (2,000ft) long, according to analysis by Associated Press. This would be long enough to accommodate drones, but not fighter jets or bombers. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite an international tribunal finding its arguments to be without legal basis. Beijing has previously asserted its...