A Chinese fighter plane has been spotted on a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea, the first such deployment seen this year, a U.S. think tank reported Thursday.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the J-11 fighter was visible in a satellite image taken March 29 of Woody Island in the Paracel island chain.
News of the deployment came as U.S. President Donald Trump was due to hold his first meetings with China's President Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday and Friday, at which he is expected to air U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territory and militarization of outposts in the South China Sea.
"This isn't a first, but it's the first time in a year," AMTI director Greg Poling said of the fighter deployment.
Referring to the single fighter plane visible in the image, he said: "There are likely more in the hangars nearby."
Poling said it was unclear how long the plane had been there.
The United States has said in the past that deployments of Chinese fighter jets to Woody Island were part of a disturbing trend of militarization that raised questions about Beijing's intentions in the South China Sea, which is an important trade route.
The Chinese embassy in Washington was not immediately available for comment.
China has previously denied U.S. charges that it is militarizing the South China Sea. In March, Premier Li Keqiang said defense equipment had been placed on islands in the disputed waterway to maintain "freedom of navigation."
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the presence of a fighter aircraft on Woody Island was not something unexpected.
"It is already heavily militarized; no surprise we would be seeing military aircraft there," the official said.
Earlier on Thursday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he had ordered troops to occupy uninhabited islands and shoals it claims in the South China Sea, something likely to anger China, which claims most of the strategic waterway.
