Vietnamese Protest China’s Construction Activities in Controversial Islands
Vietnam protested against the activities of the Chinese Communist regime in the disputed Spratly Islands on Friday, demanding an immediate halt to land reclamation and construction. Satellite images showed that Antelope Reef has formed an artificial island nearly 6 kilometers long, with new facilities appearing on Yagong Island. Security analysts believe that this could be the initial construction of early warning radar facilities.
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated that China had carried out land reclamation and construction on Antelope Reef and Yagong Island without Vietnam’s permission. The Vietnamese side has lodged a strong protest against this.
“We strongly oppose these activities and have made solemn representations and reiterated our position, demanding an immediate cessation of such activities and that they should not happen again,” said Pham Thu Hang.
Pham Thu Hang emphasized that Vietnam has ample historical evidence and legal basis to confirm its sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, including Antelope Reef and Yagong Island. She further stated that any foreign activities in the Spratly Islands without Vietnam’s permission are “completely illegal and invalid.”
According to a report in Vietnam News, a Vietnamese newspaper under the state-run Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam had already protested against China’s activities on Antelope Reef back in March, also stating its firm opposition at that time.
At the time of Vietnam’s protest, China’s new round of construction activities in the Spratly Islands had attracted external attention. According to a report by Reuters on August 19, China had completed the “first phase” of construction on Antelope Reef. Satellite images showed that the reclaimed artificial island is nearly 6 kilometers long, with a pier and deep-water port, along with a straight shoreline over 3 kilometers long, regarded by some analysts as a potential runway.
In another report by Reuters on August 25, satellite images showed new facilities recently appearing on Yagong Island. Security analysts suggested that these structures may be the initial construction of early warning radar facilities to support future facilities on Antelope Reef, with the construction potentially enhancing China’s military control over the northern part of the South China Sea.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
China has controlled the Spratly Islands since 1974 when it gained control following a skirmish with the South Vietnamese navy. Beijing claims sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and asserts that its activities in the region are legitimate actions on Chinese territory. Vietnam, on the other hand, continues to assert that the entire group of islands and surrounding waters belong to Vietnam.
Apart from the Spratly Islands, there are also multiple sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, including the more southern Paracel Islands and surrounding waters. In recent years, Vietnam has continued to expand its base network in the Paracel Islands. The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei have also each made sovereignty or rights claims over certain islands or surrounding waters in the South China Sea.