Taiwan's defense ministry said on Wednesday that it has requested Google Inc. to blur satellite images displaying, what military experts claim to be, a new military installation on Itu Aba, Taiwan's sole holding in the disputed South China Sea region.    

"Under the pre-condition of protecting military secrets and security, we have requested Google blur images of important military facilities," Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesperson Chen Chung-chi said.

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The defense ministry's statement came after local Taiwanese media reported that a recent image seen on Google Earth showed four three-pronged structures sitting in a semi-circle position just off the northwestern shoreline of Itu Aba.

Google Inc, which is based in Mountain View California, has so far not commented on the issue.  

Military experts in Taiwan are claiming that based on Google Earth imagery, the structures in the said portion of South China Sea were most likely related to defense purposes and could be part of an artillery foundation.

 "I think definitely it will be for military purposes, but I cannot tell if it is for defending, attacking or monitoring," said Dustin Wang, a military expert and scholar, who claimed to have regularly visited Itu Aba.

The revelation of a new military installation is likely to stroke fresh tension in the disputed maritime territory, where China's belligerent construction activities on various reefs and islands have already caused enough tensions.

The recent verdict by The Hague-based international tribunal, which dismissed China's historical claim over the South China Sea region, has also reportedly added to the tension in contested waters.

China stakes claim over the entire energy-rich South China Sea. Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are the other important claimants who have asserted ownership over a part or the entire South China Sea region.        

TagsTaiwan, South China Sea, China and Taiwan, Itu Aba