China nears completion of airstrip on disputed island

China is close to completing a 3,000m-long airstrip on one of its artificial islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, new satellite photographs of the area show.

China’s island-building efforts in the South China Sea have rattled its neighbours and ratcheted up tensions in the region. Online footage has shown Chinese building an airstrip and facilities on the Fiery Cross Reef, which the US Navy calls the “Great Wall of Sand”.

China has territorial disputes with practically all of its neighbours over claims in the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. It is currently engaged in land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago, over which Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan all claim sovereignty.

The building plan has also raised tensions with Washington, which is keen for the neighbouring countries to be more assertive in dealing with China.

Close to completion

Previously it had been thought the facility would not be operational until year-end, but the new images show that it is closer to completion than previously thought.

The photographs were taken by satellite imagery firm DigitalGlobe and published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The images show that an airstrip was being paved and marked, and that an apron and taxiway had been added adjacent to the runway.

Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas and one possible radar tower were visible on Fiery Cross Reef. The images also showed a Chinese naval vessel moored in a port, Reuters reported.

The images show that the airstrip will be long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft, which will extend China’s reach into the region.

Last month, Adm Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, told a security summit in Singapore that the construction projects fell well within the scope of China's sovereignty.

Some $5 trillion (€4.5 trillion) in ship-borne trade passes through the area every year.

Foreign minister Wang Yi said last week that not following up on China's territorial assertions in the area would bring shame on its ancestors.

First discovered

“One thousand years ago China was a large seafaring nation. So of course China was the first country to discover, use and administer the Nansha Islands,” Mr Wang said, using the Chinese word for the Spratly Islands.

American ships took Chinese troops to reclaim the Spratlys after they were occupied by Japan during the second World War, Mr Wang said,. Other countries only started occupying what he said was Chinese territory from the 1960s after oil was discovered.

“China is in reality the biggest victim,” Mr Wang said.

A senior government official, Yu Zhengsheng, warned Japan to stay out of any disputes in the South China Sea.