China 'has deployed missiles in South China Sea' - reports

China appears to have deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, say reports. Satellite images taken on 14 February and published by Fox News appear to show two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system on Woody or Yongxing Island in the Paracels.

Previous satellite images of Woody Island show extensive building work including a runway

Taiwan, which also claims the island, confirmed the deployment. But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the reports had been invented by the Western media.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing alongside his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop, Mr Wang said the media should focus instead on lighthouses built in the South China Sea which "have been very useful in assuring the safety of passing ships".

Regional anger

The presence of missiles would significantly increase tensions in the acrimonious South China Sea dispute. China has been carrying out extensive land reclamation work in the region, which it says is legal and for civilian purposes.

But the work has angered other countries which also claim the territory, and there is growing concern about the implications of the area becoming militarised.