China has been pulling tons of sand for more than a decade. And not only is it doing to build airports: they are dozens of artificial islands to expand their military power. It is about China’s strategy to claim the maritime territories that they consider their own and that are also doing on the coast of the yellow sea in front of South Korea. The problem is that one of its neighbors has been tired.
Vietnam has also begun to lift artificial islands in the same territory with a clear objective: to prevent China from conquering the area. And the tension is served, of course.
Islas Spratly. It may seem another reef, but that of the Spratly Islands is tremendously important at the geopolitical level. It is a reef that is located among four countries whose relations, in some cases, are a hotbed: China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, and are also a set of islands rich in natural resources such as fishing banks (suitable for a China to which its dugs fall shorts), oil and natural gas. It is estimated that there are 105,000 million barrels of oil and many other millions of gas drums.
There is tension, therefore, to control those resources, but also because it is a relevant point at the strategic level. They are located on one of the most traveled maritime routes and are key to international trade and world movement. Controlling that archipelago implies having an essential influence globally.
Claims. And the situation is a chicken coop. The archipelago is composed of a hundred islands and there are countries that have been claiming their sovereignty on it. On the one hand, China says that the fishermen of the Ming dynasty of the fifteenth century have already established themselves there, so the islands belong to them. In addition, in 1947 they made a map that showed how they all belonged to them, beginning to occupy some of them in 1988.
Malaysia got into the fight in 1979, claiming part of the archipelago, the same case as Brunéi. Philippines is another player on this board, occupying some islands and occupying some of them with soldiers, but the most persistent are Taiwan and Vietnam. Both demand the entire territory as their own. Taiwan, with the same foundation as China, and Vietnam, stating that the islands were part of the kingdom of Annam – predecessor of the country – during the nineteenth century.
Both China and Vietnam recovered archaeological remains to demonstrate that the islands belonged to them in the past and had to remain their property today. But since they did not convince each other, they decided to go to action.
Mischief is an example. It is in Chinese power and has names in different languages depending on which country you ask. For China is měijì jiāo. For Vietnam is đá Vành KhĂn. And for the Philippines is Bahura Ng Panganiban. Everyone considers that it is yours
Background. Thus, and at some point in 2013, China began to move. Taking advantage of the rock parts of the reef close to the surface and using dredging ships to lift the bottom of the sea, they began to build islands and extend some existing ones. In just five years, they created seven artificial islands, the transformation of atolls into comparative satellite images being evident.
Militarizing the archipelago. In this whole story, the military presence of the countries involved in the conflict has been key, starring even armed incidents between them. And one of China’s clear objectives is the militarization of this space with a double objective. On the one hand, the most obvious: if you create an island and the militarizas, you make sure that if someone wants it, you also have to arrive with armed troops, being able to trigger a greater conflict.
Subi is one of the islands in which China has placed an airport. So it was before and after 2016
On the other, establishing and reinforcing the military presence in an area that, as we say, is key. It is something that we have seen recently, with the discovery of a furtive anti -ship radar in one of the islands. And it is a radar, yes, but also a powerful message in an area where the United States also has the eye: if the US and its allies cannot operate poachers in the South China Sea, they may not be able to deal with the forces of the popular liberation army.
Discovery Great Reef is held by Vietnam and down to the right we see some changes. Philippines, Taiwan and China say it’s them
But well, it is not just a radar: there is also a missile launch platform, and in several of the islands occupied, created or expanded by China we can see the presence of military infrastructure such as bases or airports. In this TWSJ video we can see perfectly the evolution of the islands:
Vietnam is planted. In 2021, Vietnam got tired of the situation and, being together with Taiwan the country that has the most interest in the archipelago, also began to lift islands in the Spratly. Mainly, for military and port presence that reinforce maritime logistics, but putting the direct in recent months.
Since June 2024, Vietnam has “grown” 641 new hectares and total expansion measurements 1,343 hectares against the 1,882 of China. And the expansion is being rapid: in 2021, Vietnam only had four advanced ports with port. Now, it has tripled that number with cases such as Barque Canada Reef in which only the atolon was intuited and now has even a landing floor.
Before and after in the reef Barque Canada
Complaints from each other. The objective of each other is to operate more time and in greater numbers in those islands before a relay arrives, being able to perform maneuvers and patrols during the area throughout the year, but curiously, although Vietnam had already shouted in the sky previously with the movements of China, now it is China who thinks that its neighbor is pressing the nuts.
Pearson is also from Vietnam
It was in February when the spokesman of the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the Reef Barque Running Track. They have raised their voice because they consider that they are going too far in a territory that they have illegally occupied. Vietnam, on the other hand, already declared last year that it would do whatever it was necessary to protect its territory. And that landing floor has not only sat badly to China, also Malaysia and the Philippines. The problem is that, as some analysts point out, it is difficult to blame Vietnam when, precisely, the other three countries have been doing the same in recent years.
Recovered land. But beyond those artificial islands, China has gained ground to the International Sea in other parts of the territory. An example is that he has raised enclaves such as Ocean Flower Island, which encompasses three artificial islands of about 800 hectares aimed at being an international port, with business centers and even attractive parks.
Because not everything was going to be shots: Yangpu Bay is the ‘new’ Dubai
Also Port City, destined to house business centers to convert its 2.6 square kilometers into a kind of ‘new’ Dubai. Is there no brake on all this? Well … Indonesia tried, offering as a mediator in the conflict, but it is something that has not seduced the confrontated parts that, as we see, continue to choose to throw sacks of sand into the sea.
Images | Google Maps, Sentinel Hub HAS (2) (3) (4) (4)
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