US Spy Plane Deployed To Singapore

US Spy Plane Deployed To Singapore

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In another development in the so-far peaceful tit-for-tat dispute between China and its US-backed neighbours over territorial claims in South China Sea, the US decided to increase the presence of the P8 Poseidon spy plane in the area.

The Poseidon will be deployed to Singapore by the end of 2015 for the first time, in a move welcome in a joint statement by US Defence Secretary Ashton Carten and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen. The deployment will “promote greater interoperability with regional militaries through participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises, while providing timely support for regional HADR (Humanitarian and Disaster Relief operations) and maritime security efforts,” the statement said.

China responded to the move saying it was aimed at militarising the region, which has been in the spotlight recently with moves by China and the US aimed at establishing authority in the area.

“I think this kind of increase in military deployment by the United States and pushing regional militarization does not accord with the joint long-term interests of the countries in this region,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

Much of the South China Sea is under territorial dispute between China, who claims most of the area, and its neighbours, who each have a regional stake. More than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes through the Sea.

The Poseidon already operates out of Japan and the Philippines, and has flown from Malaysia. This new permanent deployment will serve to increase the operational capabilities of the plane’s flights.

Singapore has well established security ties with the US. The deployment of the P8 Poseidon comes as part of an enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement signed by Carter and Ng. The agreement also ratifies cooperation in fighting transnational terrorism and piracy.