March 25, 2022
Beat of the Week
(Honorable Mention)
Exclusive AP access to US flight over militarized Chinese islands
were the only journalists invited aboard a U.S. Navy reconnaissance flight over the South China Sea and China’s island outposts in the region. While Favila made photos and video of the Chinese military facilities built on man-made islands — and recorded audio of the warnings the aircraft received from China — Gomez landed an exclusive interview with Adm. John C. Aquilino U.S. Indo-Pacific commander.With the war in Ukraine raising concern over other potential international conflicts, Aquilino told AP that China has fully militarized at least three of several islands it built in the disputed South China Sea and has armed them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, and fighter jets. He said the increasingly aggressive moves threaten all nations operating nearby. Read more
![AP 22079442905266 hm china 1](https://leads-uploads.associatedpress.com/feature-images/_archiveList/AP_22079442905266_hm-china-1.jpg)