These are the advanced missiles China sent to militarize the South China Sea
Beijing placed two batteries of eight surface-to-air Hongqi-9 (HQ-9) missiles on Woody Island, which is part of the disputed Paracel Island chain in the disputed waters.
Although this is not the first time that China has placed weapons on the island chain, the technical abilities of the missiles combined with Beijing's overall more aggressive policy in the region is a potential game changer.
"Our analysis of the imagery released indicates China has deployed a fourth-generation SAM system to the South China Sea. This represents a significant military escalation. This leapfrogs steps such as deploying shorter-range systems and increasing the tempo of visits by military aircraft to the islands," writes Neil Ashdown, the Deputy Editor of IHS Jane's Intelligence Review.
"However, the deployment is still less significant from a military perspective for the US and others than the deployment of systems such as the YJ-type anti-ship cruise missiles."
Still, the deployment is meant as a signal to the US and likely to other nations throughout the region that China is serious about backing up its claims to the region and intends of fully taking control of the islands that it has claimed.