China's island airstrips to heighten South China Sea underwater rivalry

Mischief Reef is shown in this handout satellite image dated September 8, 2015 and provided by CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/Digital Globe September 14, 2015. REUTERS/CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/Digital Globe/Handout via Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's apparent construction of a third airstrip on its man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea could fill a gap in Beijing's anti-submarine defences, complicating operations for the U.S. Navy and its allies, Chinese and Western experts said.

While most attention has been on the power projection China would get from its new islands in the Spratly archipelago, China could also use them to hunt rival submarines in and beyond the strategic waterway, they said.