South China Sea: Beijing Has Extended Another Spratly Islands Reef, Photos Show

South China Morning Post

24 March 2021

China has reclaimed land to extend a reef in the Spratly Islands, in the disputed South China Sea, satellite images show. Photographs taken by American space technology company Maxar showed that Subi Reef – which is also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam – had new land added to it that had not been visible in a satellite photo taken on February 20. The new rectangle of land, about 2.85 hectares (7 acres) in size, had been added to the southern edge of the ring-shaped coral atoll, which encloses a lagoon and has a channel for vessels to enter and leave. Dr Collin Koh, a Research Fellow from RSIS, said the new construction could be used for many purposes. “It’s located right along the waterfront, notably,” Koh said. “It’s a probable multipurpose site. There could be buildings and an observation or radar tower, but the open-paved ground is multifunctional.”

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Last updated on 04/05/2021