Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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            China Lands Military Plane on Disputed South Sea Island

   by VOA News

   China says a military plane has landed on one of the country's man-made
   islands in the disputed South China Sea, the first public
   acknowledgement of such a mission.

   China's state-run media said Monday that the plane was on patrol in the
   area Sunday when it received an emergency call to land on Fiery Cross
   Reef to evacuate three injured construction workers.

   After picking up the injured workers, the plane then flew to Hainan
   Island where it was met by an ambulance.

   A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, said such rescue
   missions are part of the military's tradition. "On Chinese territory,
   something like this is not out of the ordinary," he said.

   China completed the 3,000-meter runway on the island in the disputed
   Spratly archipelago last year, and began test flights of commercial
   airlines there in January.

   Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the
   United States has serious concerns about China's actions in the South
   China Sea.

   He said other Asian countries in the region have been expressing their
   concerns to the United States both publicly and privately about China's
   military actions, which he said "stand out in size and scope."

   U.S. military officials have said that any attempt by China to fly
   military aircraft from the man-made islands would not deter U.S.
   flights over the area.

   China claims much of the South China Sea, while several other nations
   -- including the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam -- have rival claims.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/china-lands-military-plane-disputed-s
   outh-china-sea/3291216.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/china-lands-military-plane-disputed-south-china-sea/3291216.html