China's most advanced bombers seen on disputed South China Sea island
By Greg Torode
Satellite imagery shows China landed two of its most advanced bombers in the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea this month - a gesture that some analysts described as Beijing's latest signaling of its growing military capabilities to rivals.
The deployment marks the first time the long-range H-6 bombers have landed on Woody Island in the Paracels since 2020, and the movement of the now upgraded aircraft comes amid tensions with the Philippines, operations near Taiwan and ahead of the region's biggest defense forum this weekend.
"China's long-range bombers don't need to be on the Paracels so it does appear to be omni-directional signalling by Beijing - against the Philippines and against the U.S. and other things that are going on," said Collin Koh, a defence scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to open the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore with a speech on Friday while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will outline the Trump administration's approach to the region on Saturday.
A British aircraft carrier is expected in the South China Sea on a rare deployment next month, diplomats say.Satellites captured two H-6 planes flying over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal, also in the South China Sea, just ahead of Hegseth's visit to the Philippines in late March, when he reaffirmed the United States' "ironclad commitment" to its treaty ally.
Regional diplomats and analysts say deployments of the jet-powered H-6 are closely scrutinised, given the way its Cold War-era airframe has been modernised to carry anti-ship and land attack cruise missiles, while some of the planes are capable of launching nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
A potential threat to U.S. bases in the region, H-6 bombers were deployed in wargames around Taiwan in October, and in July flew close to the U.S. mainland for the first time.
Neither China's defence ministry nor the Philippines' maritime and national security council immediately responded to Reuters' requests for comment.
China's occupation of the Paracels is disputed by Vietnam, whose foreign ministry also did not immediately respond for comment.
SOVIET DESIGN
Echoing the development of the U.S. B-52, the basic H-6 dates back to 1950s Soviet designs but it remains China's most advanced long-range bomber having been re-fitted with improved engines and modern flight systems along with its state-of-the-art weaponry.
Images provided to Reuters by Maxar Technologies show two H-6 bombers on a runway on Woody Island on May 19.
Another Maxar image on the same date show two Y-20 transport aircraft and an KJ-500 early warning plane - an aircraft that is seen as vital to China being able to control and secure increasingly complex air and sea operations.
Some analysts said the planes may have first arrived on May 17 and been present until May 23.
Ben Lewis, founder of open source data platform PLATracker, said they thought it was unlikely that the H-6s would be deployed long-term on Woody Island or be permanently based there.
"The ability to cycle forces through the bases, especially higher level assets like the H-6, provides the PLA with a force protection mechanism," he said, referring to China's People's Liberation Army.
China's Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, maintains two regiments of the bombers, according to the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies.
The bombers are generally kept at heavily fortified bases on the Chinese mainland, where they would have more protection in a conflict from U.S. attacks in conflict scenarios.
The U.S. maintains jet fighter wings in Japan, including on its forward deployed aircraft carrier, and on Guam, which is also home to B-52s.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
15 minutes ago
- Nikkei Asia
India and Japan can go from quiet partners to Asia's power couple
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the Vande Bharat Express, inaugurating the Katra-Srinagar train service, at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Station in Katra, India, on June 6. © Reuters Chitrali Parashar is a New Delhi-based associate with The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm.
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Myanmar to hold first phase of general election on Dec. 28: state media
Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing is also commander-in-chief of Myanmar's armed forces, which have controlled the Southeast Asian nation since 2021. © Reuters August 18, 2025 16:18 JST (Reuters) -- Myanmar will hold the initial phase of its general election on Dec. 28, state television said on Monday, outlining a road map for the first polls in the war-torn country in nearly five years that critics have already derided as a sham.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
A Night in D.C. after Trump's National Guard Deployment
The sunlight dimmed along this stretch of U Street to the familiar soundtrack of a city ready for the weekend: rumbling buses taking home tired commuters, high heels clacking along sticky sidewalks and chattering crowds ready to order their first round. Then a group gathered on a street corner with pots and pans, jingling them as the darkness grew closer. They whooped and cheered for a few minutes, a brief moment of joyful resistance seeking to counteract the image of the crime-riddled city described by the president. Among the clubgoers in miniskirts and sweat-soaked T-shirts, there were federal agents hopping in and out of unmarked cars. A protester held a sign reading 'America has no kings.' Police officers were met with boos and phones ready to record. Welcome to the first Friday night in D.C. since President Donald Trump announced he was placing the local police under federal control and sending in National Guard troops to a city where 9 of 10 voters cast ballots for his opponent. The next morning, the White House would announce that their overnight operation yielded 52 arrests and the seizure of three illegal firearms. Twenty-two multiagency teams were deployed throughout the city. Trump justified the exertion of executive power to reduce crime by depicting the city as a lawless wasteland, despite violent crime reaching 30-year lows. But many of those gathered around the bars and clubs in Northwest Washington on Friday night said they felt more unsettled by the federal presence than any other safety concerns. Washington Post journalists spent Friday night in a popular section of U Street – a nightlife hub that is among the areas of the city with the highest number of crimes reported this year. Earlier this summer, D.C. police implemented a youth curfew over concerns about rowdy crowds in some areas. Nearby, two nights earlier, a mix of local and federal authorities pulled over drivers for seat belt violations or broken taillights while onlookers chanted: 'Go home, fascists.' On Friday, crowds were smaller, bartenders and club managers said, and they wondered if patrons were staying inside to avoid federal authorities. And yet, there were still people ready to party. The largest police response The Post witnessed Friday night was over a claim of a stolen bike. It was around 8:30 p.m., and the sky was ink blue. One couple heading home from an event at a nearby synagogue looked on with furrowed brows. They spotted a few D.C. police cruisers blocking traffic and agents donning vests labeled 'HSI' – Homeland Security Investigations. They hadn't seen that before, not here. A pair of French tourists, in D.C. for the first time and looking for a bar, paused when they saw the police cruisers and growing crowd. Earlier, they'd strolled by the White House, marveled at the Capitol, and now they were trying to make sense of the flashing lights. They'd loosely followed the week's headlines and were still thrilled to be visiting. 'We're on vacation, so we try to cut [out] the news,' Solène Le Toullec said, and they walked on. At the sight of local and federal law enforcement throughout the night, people pooled on the sidewalk – watching, filming, booing. 'Get out!' 'Go!' 'Quit!' Such interactions played out again and again as the night drew on. Onlookers heckled the police as they did their job and applauded as officers left. Across the street, security guard Ashley Nash stood with arms crossed outside the fried chicken spot she shepherds, unfazed by the flashing lights and sirens. She welcomed the extra police presence. 'It's needed in these times right now,' she said. Groups in miniskirts teetered past as the sky darkened. Harry Wright, 29, walked out of Service Bar and paused in the evening humidity. The bar's general manager, he scanned the outdoor seating, where friends clustered around tables, ringing in the weekend with cocktails. It was a pleasant sight in what otherwise had been a heavy week. He'd heard from a co-worker who didn't feel safe to walk to work because of the heightened law enforcement presence. He knew the community was on edge. The hospitality and food industries, he said, are 'fueled by immigrants and people of color and queer people, and those are the people who feel the least safe in the city right now.' Trump has described his federal intervention in D.C. as a crusade against crime. In its first week, the main targets have increasingly been immigrants and those experiencing homelessness. Videos of local detainments have reverberated through group chats and social media. 'We, for a living, take care of people and work really hard to make others feel welcome in our space,' Wright said. To have loved ones no longer feel 'comfortable and welcome in the city they live in is really, really upsetting.' Around 10 p.m., Perry Singletary stood outside Nellie's, illuminated by the gay bar's blue signage. 'This area in general is just unsafe,' she said, adding that her car was broken into two months ago. 'There's someone being jumped. There's a fight. There's carjackings.' Still, she wasn't sure what else local leaders could do and thought the president's response was 'extreme.' But as she scanned the block and quiet sidewalk, she appreciated the calm. 'It is nice to see a police presence outside, because it's been quiet out here for the last week, and it's usually not,' she said. Outside a Metro station entrance, a group of friends spotted a cluster of khaki-clad U.S. marshals and began to record. One agent pulled out a phone and recorded, too. 'We're out here on the streets of Washington, D.C., to keep the citizens as safe as possible from a mandate down from the president telling us that we're going to keep the city's streets safe, because there's murders, rapists, robbers and all of this stuff going on,' the marshal said. A few blocks over, a gaggle of folks assembled outside a Subway. It was here that a Justice Department employee allegedly threw a sandwich at a federal law enforcement officer late Sunday in a scene that made him a hero in some corners of the internet. He has since been fired and faces felony charges. 'This is the Subway,' said a man in shorts and a cap, having seen the viral clip of the hurled hoagie. Brian Downing, 26, took a selfie with three friends just before 11 o'clock. Visiting from Chesapeake, Virginia, they considered canceling their trip earlier this week when, scrolling through TikTok, they came across a video of a checkpoint two nights before and two blocks north. Law enforcement stopped dozens of cars in front of a popular chain bakery, a veterinary clinic and a high-end outdoor apparel store. At least two people were detained – one man speaking Spanish was loaded into an unmarked pickup. A woman was handcuffed while the crowd, gathered on the sidewalks, booed and yelled at officers to 'read the Constitution.' Others hastily made signs and stood on nearby corners to warn people to steer clear. But Downing and his friends had already booked their Airbnb. Plus, they didn't want to be robbed of a good time. 'Glad to be here,' he said. Four blocks down, Andrew Fraser, 21, waited with a cluster of friends to get into El Rey. They'd also thought about staying in tonight. Considering the heavier law enforcement presence and potential for tensions to spill over, they'd asked: Is it worth it? But, Fraser said, 'we don't want our way of life to be stopped before it has to be.' The tensions weren't going to stop them from celebrating a friend's birthday. Sarah Gammoh, 25, and Stewart Hahn, 31, emerged from a table at The Saloon, a bar where they had just celebrated with loved ones. They married today and were determined to have a good time. 'We didn't let it stop us,' Hahn said. Sarah nodded in agreement, clutching two bouquets of flowers. Around midnight, Mark Rutstein, 51, walked into Crush, the bar he co-owns, and sighed. The dance floor was almost empty. Upstairs, it was maybe a third full. Two nights earlier, they'd closed more than an hour early, after, he said, a heavy law enforcement presence nearby drove people away. And now it was Friday night, and the crowd hadn't materialized. He thought of his 47 employees, his overhead costs and his breakeven. He thought of the president's rhetoric calling D.C. 'one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world' – a description he feared was keeping visitors away. The immigration crackdown was keeping people away too, he was sure. 'I don't know how local businesses are going to survive this,' he said. Inside Ben's Chili Bowl, tables of friends gorged on fries laden with cheese and half smokes. At a nearby bar hosting a Donna Summer theme night, the dance floor had, at one point, just one person. Meanwhile, Jasmine Curtis, 28, settled into a red camping chair, tinfoil trays of honey jerk salmon, yams, green beans, rice and wings arranged on a plastic folding table in front of her. Occasionally, the block was set aglow with the blue and red of a passing police cruiser. She's been on edge this week, she said, staying home with her two sons amid the heightened police presence. But on Friday she ventured out for her usual perch just off U Street, scooping steaming food into takeout trays for hungry bargoers. It was 2:38 a.m., and she had three more servings to sell.
