China places HQ-9 anti-aircraft missiles on Woody Island in South China Sea

Taiwan said Wednesday that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island (Woody Island in the Paracel group), as Australia’s foreign minister began talks in Beijing expected to deal with tensions over China’s moves to assert its maritime claims.

U.S. network Fox News also said China had moved surface-to-air missiles to the Paracels, identifying them as two batteries of the HQ-9 system, along with radar targeting arrays. The missiles have a range of about 200 kilometers (125 miles)

The airport on Woody Island will be handling regular flights this year.

SOURCES – NY Times, Atimes