China has removed its new generation surface-to-air missiles from a disputed island in the South China Sea after US withdrew its aircraft carrier ahead of a landmark verdict by an UN-backed tribunal, a media report said on Saturday. CCTV footage showed the HQ-9 system launching missiles from a frigate, the Post report said. The images from Airbus ­Defence and Space showed a ­battery of HQ-9 missiles was ­removed from Woody Island before the Permanent Court of ­Arbitration in The Hague rejected Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted IHS Janes Defence magazine as ­reporting citing satellite images. The report said the missiles, which have been on Woody Island, the largest in the disputed Parcel Islands claimed by China and Vietnam in the South China Sea were probably shipped back to the mainland for maintenance by a Type 072A landing ship docked in the island’s harbour. The removal of the missiles ­coincided with week-long Chinese naval drills in the Paracels, which ended on July 11.

Source: Hindustan Times July 23, 2016 12:22 UTC