Chinas completion of an upgraded airstrip in the disputed Paracel Islands gives it another foothold in the South China Sea and risks sparking a renewed diplomatic rift with communist neighbor Vietnam.

Vietnam foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh yesterday called the two-kilometer-long runway on Woody Island, part of the Paracel group, a violation of Vietnams sovereignty after photos of the project appeared in Chinese media this week. In July, a Chinese company removed an oil rig it had placed in contested waters off Vietnams coast after skirmishes between boats of the two countries and deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.

Chinas presence on the island it calls Yongxing, which houses banks, post offices and government buildings, is likely to further strain ties with fellow claimants to the South China Sea, through which some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes run. The military facility could spur countries such as Vietnam to turn to the U.S. for sophisticated maritime aircraft to counter Chinas actions.

It has a huge significance for Chinese ability to exercise its sovereignty claims over the South China Sea, Collin Koh, an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said by phone. Vietnam is not going to let this go easily. Its going to lead to more diplomatic tensions.

Chinas runway violates international law and damages ties, Vietnam News cited foreign ministry spokesman Binh as saying. The move contravenes an accord between Vietnam and China on settling sea disputes and a 2002 agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on conduct in the area, he said.

Clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels near the oil rig during the summer highlighted Chinas limited maritime air surveillance in the region, according to Koh. An offer by Malaysia offer to host U.S. P-8 Poseidon surveillance airplanes in the country further unnerved China, he said.

The Woody Island outpost is set to become a military command and control network, he said.

Its not just about lengthening the runway, Koh said. Its about having shelters for small aircraft like jet fighters, underground bunkers for fuel and ammunition.

China considers much of the South China Sea its territory based on its nine-dash line map first published in the 1940s. The map covers an area that extends hundreds of miles south from Hainan Island and takes in the Paracels, which are claimed by Vietnam, and the Spratly Islands, some of which are claimed by the Philippines. China is creating artificial islands in the Spratly area.

China is sending a message to everyone in the world about its resolve to maintain what it perceives as its territorial integrity, Alexander Vuving, a security analyst at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, said by phone. China is hardening its position with all of these things.

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Chinas Airstrip in Paracel Islands Heightens Vietnam Tensions