South China Sea: Satellite Images Show China Is Building ‘Full-fledged Military Bases’ On Artificial Islands

The worrying new satellite images suggest that China is building “full-blown military bases” on controversial man-made islands in the South China Sea.

A report by geospatial software company Simularity has revealed what appears to be infrastructure for radars, antenna mounts, and what could be a potential military base on Mischief Reef.

Classified as an atoll, a ring-shaped coral reef, located 250 km from the Philippines, the land mass has been occupied and controlled by the People’s Republic of China since 1995.

The images show construction in seven areas between May 2020 and February 2021.

An image dated May 7, 2020 clearly shows a parcel of empty space, which is now occupied by a 16-meter-wide cylindrical structure that, according to Simularity, could be a “possible antenna mounting structure.”

Another shot also shows a concrete structure with a spherical dome, a weatherproof enclosure used to protect a radar antenna, covered nearby. Simularity claims this could “possibly be a fixed radar structure.”

Other sites are still in the middle of construction or have been cleared for further development.

Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the Law of the Sea Institute of Maritime Affairs at the University of the Philippines, says the new infrastructure suggests China is digging.

“They are basically adding recon lens equipment, apparently radars; first of all, there are a lot of them on the reef already,” he told the Philippine broadcaster ANC.

“The addition of new radars seems to indicate that they are really expanding the capabilities of this artificial island. And the fact that it continues despite everything that has been happening in the rest of the world really indicates China’s intention to really fully develop these artificial islands into full-blown military bases. “

This is not the first time that Mischief Reef has been at the center of geopolitical tensions in the area.

A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Mischief Reef is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

The relationship between the two countries remains turbulent.

In January 2021, Beijing passed the Coast Guard Law, or the “open fire” law, which gave its navy and coast guard the power to take all necessary measures to defend their sovereignty in the disputed waters.

Speaking to local media, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr said that if an incident occurred, the Philippines would retaliate.

“If there is an incident, I can assure you that there will be more than just a protest,” he said.

The role of the United States and its tumultuous relationship with China, and loyalties with countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan also come into play.

In the event of an armed attack, the superpower has vowed to defend the Philippines in an effort to moderate China’s aggressive struggle for control of the area.

Reiterating US support for the Southeast Asian country, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the new Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, rejected “China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.”

“The United States rejects China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea to the extent that they exceed the maritime zones that China can claim under international law, as reflected in the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said.

“Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of the mutual defense treaty for the security of both nations, and its clear application to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea.”