Why is Vietnam rapidly building on South China Sea reefs?

Recent land-fill operations have significantly expanded Vietnam’s presence in the contested Spratly Islands and risk escalating regional tensions, write John Pollock and Damien Symon.

The World Today Updated 15 October 2024 2 minute READ

Damien Symon

Geo-intelligence researcher, The Intel Lab

Satellite pictures have shown that large-scale land reclamation is underway on coral island reefs controlled by Vietnam. The work, identified in 2022, has dramatically increased in scope this year and looks set to continue.

The activity is centred around six key reefs in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea – one of the most geopolitically contested regions on Earth. Although the purpose of this work is not clear, it is contributing to an atmosphere of escalating regional tension. 

The Spratlys are not controlled by any single country but fall variously within the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as China’s contested claim to a large area of the South China Sea, bounded by the ‘nine-dash-line’. Taiwan too claims sovereignty over islands in the region.

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