China conducts more test flights to disputed reef

China has conducted two more test flights to a new airfield on one of seven disputed islands in the South China Sea, just days after an earlier incident drew protests from Vietnam and the Philippines.

The state-run China Daily reported Thursday that the latest flights by "commercial airliners" to the Fiery Cross Reef -- known as Yongshu Jiao in China -- were successful.

The planes departed from southern Hainan province Wednesday and arrived at the reef, which China has transformed into an artificial island with a runway, after almost two hours, before returning to Haikou city in the afternoon.

"The test flights proved that the airfield has the capacity to ensure safe operation of large civilian aircraft," according to an official media release on Xinhua.

The Daily cited unnamed "insiders" as saying that Wednesday’s efforts had been "real test flights", whereas the flight reported Saturday was meant to test communication between the airfield and planes.

After the earlier flight, Vietnam -- which also has claims in the Spratly Islands -- criticized the move as a violation of Hanoi’s sovereignty, demanding that China stop such actions.

Hua Chunying, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, responded late Saturday by saying the test flight was "completely within China's sovereignty", and underlined what Beijing considers its "indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha [Spratly] Islands and their adjacent waters". 

The Philippines -- which refers to the South China Sea as the "West Philippine Sea" -- then accused Beijing of adding to tensions in the region, with the Department of Foreign Affairs saying it will lodge formal protest.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has built man-made islands on seven reefs, including Fiery Cross, a move that has sparked tensions and triggered concerns among several nations, including the United States and Japan.

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the region.

All claimants, except for Brunei, have stationed military troops in their claimed territories, said to be sitting atop huge oil and gas deposits. 

A chief engineer at the Chinese Transport Ministry’s Rescue and Salvage department has defended the alleged positive effect the new airfield will have on the waters and islands in the sea.

The Daily on Thursday quoted Pan Wei as saying that the structure would not only reduce travel time between China’s mainland and the Nansha islands, but also promote flight and navigational safety for aircraft and ships in the region.

According to Chinese figures, almost 40 percent of worldwide trade is transported through the South China Sea, where more than 40,000 ships cross each year.