25 November 2014

Editorial: China's Spratlys Airstrip Will Raise South China Sea Stakes


By Ankit Panda

Beijing is developing a man-made island on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys.

Late last week, an IHS Jane’s report corroborated claims that China was embarking on an island-building project in the South China Sea. Based on satellite imagery, Jane’s reported that China was building an airstrip-capable island on Fiery Cross Reef, a group of three reefs in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China claims the territory as part of Hainan province’s Sansha prefecture and exerts de facto control over the area. The reef’s central location in the broader South China Sea renders it a strategic position for an island-based airstrip. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat