China has deployed 16 fighter jets to the disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea which Beijing claims as part of its territory, US defense authorities said on Wednesday.

A high-level defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the press that China moved 16 Shenyang J-11 fighter jets to the Woody Island on April 7. This could be the largest deployment of fighter aircrafts in the South China region, the official said.

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The defense official described the large deployment as "unprecedented" although he was quick to point out that this was not the first time the Chinese deployed fighter jets in the Woody Island. This large island is part of the Paracel group of islands which is being claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Large deployments

China's latest move in the disputed South China Sea runs counter to its declaration that Beijing will not militarize the South China Sea region, a vow Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated during his latest visit to Washington last month.

The official said China's large deployments of weapons and its continuous buildup of man-made islands in the disputed waterway has jeopardized the stability of the region and heightened tensions among the claimant countries.

The US has repeatedly called for China and the countries claiming part of the disputed territory in the South China Sea-- through which $5 trillion of ship-borne trade passes every year-- not to militarize the area.

Woody Island

Woody Island, which is being claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, has been under the control of China since 1950s.

The defense official said China has built a runway that could accommodate various types of aircraft including advanced fighter jets.

US defense secretary Ashton Carter is currently in the Philippines where US, Australia, and Philippine troops are conducting war games dubbed "Exercise Balikatan.'

He is set to visit Philippine military bases in the country which the US finds critical in its strategy to counter China's expansion in the region.

Carter said the US will deploy rotational troops to the Philippines and will invest in military weaponry.

New information obtained by the the Pentagon said China has been further building up its military facilities in the Woody Island.

Beijing has justified its military deployments in the South China Sea region saying it is "deploying necessary, limited defensive facilities on its own territory."

TagsWoody island, South China Sea, Fighter Jets, Philippine military bases, military facilities, china, Washington