China Expands Islands in Disputed Waters, Photos Show.


Satellite images show Woody Island and Duncan Island have grown significantly

This handout photo taken on Feb. 25, 2014 shows an aerial shot of what appears to be a large-scale reclamation by China on the Chinese-held Johnson South Reef in what is part of the disputed Spratly chain. ENLARGED
This handout photo taken on Feb. 25, 2014 shows an aerial shot of what appears to be a large-scale reclamation by China on the Chinese-held Johnson South Reef in what is part of the disputed Spratly chain. Photo: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MANILA—China is expanding two islands it controls in the disputed Paracel Islands, east of Vietnam, satellite imagery published on Tuesday shows, even as it builds seven new islets in the South China Sea.

Woody Island and Duncan Island have both expanded significantly as a result of recent land-reclamation work undertaken by China, according to images taken a month ago by satellite-imaging company DigitalGlobe and published Tuesday by the Diplomat, an Asian current-affairs website. Vietnam says it owns both islands, although Woody Island is home to China’s largest South China Sea settlement—Sansha City, which has a population of 600 people.
China claims about 90% of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. All the claimants apart from Brunei have populated settlements on disputed islands under their control, but China has made a concerted push in recent months to expand its footprint in the contested region, drawing persistent complaints—but little collective action—from its neighbors.

The South China Sea is a rich fishing ground used by fleets from China and most Southeast Asian states. It is rich in energy resources and is home to important shipping lanes that carry around $5 trillion in seaborne trade each year.
The claimants have agreed to abide by a nonbinding code of conduct under which they have undertaken to refrain from provocative actions in the disputed region, but the Philippines and Vietnam have accused China of breaking the deal through its recent activities. Satellite pictures published by the Philippines and others have charted the speedy construction of at least seven islands by China in the Spratly Islands group through the use of dredgers to dump sand on top of shallow reefs.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said earlier this month that the artificial islands would be used for “military defense” and for a range of civilian purposes.
Hong Lei, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that “the Paracels are an inherent part of China,” when asked about the reclamation projects there.
Chinese officials have consistently waved away complaints about the country’s island-building program on the ground that China is entitled to undertake construction projects within its own sovereign territory.
Vietnamese officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Diplomatic relations between Beijing and Hanoi became strained a year ago when a Chinese drilling platform was deployed to disputed waters east of Vietnam, though ties have largely recovered since the rig was removed in July.
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President Barack Obama waded into the South China Sea row last week, saying that China “is not necessarily abiding by international law and is using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions.”
“Just because the Philippines or Vietnam are not as large as China doesn’t mean that they can just be elbowed aside,” Mr. Obama said during a visit to Jamaica on Thursday, when asked about China’s island-building program.
The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Admiral Harry Harris last month dubbed the Chinese reclamation program in the South China Sea the “Great Wall of sand,” saying that Chinese dredgers had created four square kilometers of artificial landmass in the disputed sea over the past few months.
On Monday, the Philippine government said China’s island-building program would cost the region’s littoral states $100 million a year through damage caused to the local ecosystem and the degrading of fish stocks. In 2013, Manila launched an arbitration case against China at The Hague, with the aim of having China’s claim to most of the South China Sea declared illegal. China has refused to participate in the process. The court expected to reach a decision by early 2016.
The Philippines and Vietnam signed a strategic pact in February designed to upgrade their bilateral relations and work more closely together on regional issues, but have struggled to secure the backing of other Southeast Asian states when it comes to the South China Sea issue. Not all Asean states have a direct stake in the South China Sea, and so are reluctant to side with Hanoi and Manila to confront China, which is an important source of aid and investment.
Even so, Philippine and Vietnamese representatives are likely to raise China’s land-reclamation program at the upcoming Asean summit due to be held in Malaysia at the end of April in the hope of rallying regional backing for their opposition to China’s claims.
wsj.

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