Special to WorldTribune.com

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has called on China to stop construction on artificial islands in the South China Sea as U.S. surveillance showed Chinese artillery positioned on one of the islands.

Carter said on May 27 that China’s action of reclaiming 2,000 acres of land where military bases are being built was “out of step” with regional security concerns.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, U.S. officials said the artillery China has positioned on one of the artificial islands could reach neighboring islands.

Such systems contradict Beijing’s official position and a Chinese embassy spokesman’s comment that work being done on the islands is “primarily for civilian purposes.”

The islands and reefs that China has moved to reclaim are situated amid shipping lanes that Beijing aims to control. The U.S. and many of China’s neighbors including India, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines view Chinese maritime aggression and the potential for a changed balance of power in the South China Sea as unacceptable.

China earlier this week issued a defense White Paper that claimed the U.S. was “meddling” in the region. Beijing pressured U.S. warships and surveillance planes to stop all operations near the disputed islands.

“There should be no mistake about this: The United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do all around the world,” Carter said.

The Communist Party-controlled Global Times newspaper warned that a conflict is “inevitable” unless the U.S. backs off.

On May 26, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said U.S. warships and aircraft were using “old tricks” to stir up tensions. “Our responses are always necessary, legal and professional,” he said. “We cannot rule out the possibility that a certain country is looking for an excuse to support future operations. This is not something new. It is an old trick.”

Last week, a U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance plan flying over the South China Sea flight was challenged by a Chinese navy air controller and ordered to leave the area. The aircraft continued on its flight.

Earlier, U.S. defense officials said surveillance flights by Global Hawk long-range drones were jammed by Chinese military systems.

  artificial islands, Ashton Carter, Showdown: U.S. spots weapons systems on Chinese-made island, South China Sea, U.S. defense secretary to China: Stop S. China Sea island build-up, WorldTribune.com