Asia | Construction in the South China Sea

Reclamation marks

An unprecedented building boom

|SINGAPORE

THE barren islets, cays, reefs, shoals and rocks of the South China Sea are witnessing an unprecedented building boom. Satellite pictures have revealed more about the reclamation work undertaken by China on features, especially in the Spratly archipelago, also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

On Woody Island, part of the Paracels group which is claimed by both Vietnam and Taiwan, China has long had an airstrip 2.7km (1.7 miles) long. Now, at Fiery Cross Reef, it appears to be building a 3km-long airstrip. At Hughes Reef, 75,000 square metres of sand have been reclaimed since last August to house a large new facility, according to estimates by IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, a specialist journal. Further work is under way at Gaven, Cuarteron, Eldad and Mischief reefs.

China contends that it is only catching up with decades of building by other claimants. Vietnam is estimated to have built on 25 features in the Spratlys. Taiwan is quietly building a new port big enough to host warships on Itu Aba (also known as Taiping), in natural terms the largest of the Spratlys. Fiery Cross now appears to be larger. Indeed, China’s building stands out for three reasons: its extent, its speed and its egregious flouting of the spirit of a declaration signed in 2002 with ASEAN, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, in which all claimants promised “to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes.”

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Reclamation marks"

Planet of the phones

From the February 28th 2015 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

What next for Pakistan?

The new government faces polarised politics, a faltering economy and terrorist threats

The Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan is at war with the world

The group which claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack is increasingly worrying


Arvind Kejriwal’s imprisonment is a stain on India’s democracy

He is the first sitting chief minister in the country’s history to be arrested