Has China withdrawn missiles from Phu Lam Island?

Satellite images taken on May 20 and June 3 show that China appears to have withdrawn the missile system it illegally deployed on Phu Lam Island in Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago. Photo: Fox News

However, satellite images also taken by ImageSat International on June 3 showed that these systems were no longer in their original locations. This raised speculation that China may have withdrawn the missile systems from Phu Lam.

It is not yet clear whether this is a drill or Beijing's response after the US strongly condemned China's illegal militarization activities in the East Sea in recent days.

Late last month, the US disinvited China from the 2018 RIMPAC Pacific Exercise to protest China’s illegal deployment of military assets in the South China Sea. US Defense Secretary James Mattis said that this was only a “minor consequence” and that China could face “more serious consequences in the future.”

At the Shangri-La Dialogue last weekend in Singapore, Secretary Mattis also declared that the US is ready to confront China firmly in the East Sea if necessary.

China unilaterally claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, overlapping with the waters of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Experts warn that China may soon complete its illegal militarization of the South China Sea, with Beijing recently deploying military equipment to the area.