China Is Gaining Control of the South China Sea

By Zachary Keck

With the United States laser-focused on the North Korean nuclear problem, China is cementing its control over the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, CSIS’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI)—which closely tracks China’s island-building campaign using satellite imagery—reported that 2017 [3] has been a productive year for Beijing. After completing most of its dredging work to create the artificial islands in previous years, China has turned its attention to transforming these into operational military outposts. As AMTI observed, “Beijing remains committed to advancing the next phase of its build-up—construction of the infrastructure necessary for fully-functioning air and naval bases on the larger outposts.” To this end, China used 2017 to build everything “from underground storage areas and administrative buildings to large radar and sensor arrays.”

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The greatest amount of work, according to AMTI, occurred on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands, where construction stretched twenty-seven acres (110,000 square meters). Here, China completed huge hangars near its previously built airstrip, and also continued work on large underground tunnels where Beijing is likely to store ammunition and supplies. In addition, AMTI reports that China is building communication and sensor arrays and facilities across the manmade island, as well as hardening shelters for missiles.

Subi Reef, also part of the Spratly Islands, saw slightly less expensive construction in terms of the amount of area covered, but all of the same military features. In particular, AMTI said that “China is poised to substantially boost its radar and signals intelligence capabilities at Subi Reef.” AMTI documented other construction on Tree Island, North Island and Triton Island. Altogether, it estimates that since the beginning of 2016, China has added twenty-nine thousand square meters of infrastructure on its seven manmade islands in the South China Sea.