New Construction on a Small Island in the Paracels Raises Tensions Between China and Vietnam

English title: New Construction on a Small Island in the Paracels Raises Tensions Between China and Vietnam

English introduction: Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 28 demanded that China cease construction activities on the Crescent Reef and Lincoln Island in the Paracels. Satellite images show new construction signs on the reefs, with some facilities believed to be for military monitoring purposes.

English article: Lincoln Island is not large, but the latest satellite images show that this reef in the Paracels, which is actually controlled by China, is seeing new construction activities.

The satellite image shows recent construction activities on the Crescent Reef in the Paracels. The image was extracted from the webpage of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

For Vietnam, this is not just an ordinary construction project. On August 28, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly demanded that China stop its activities on Lincoln Island and Crescent Reef and once again claimed sovereignty over the entire Paracel Islands.

Hanoi's wording was unusually direct: any foreign activities without Vietnam's permission are "illegal and invalid."

This means that the long-standing sovereignty dispute over the Paracels between China and Vietnam has heated up again due to the construction on the reefs.

Satellite Images Bring the Dispute Back to the Forefront

Reuters reported on August 28 that, according to recent satellite images, Lincoln Island has shown new signs of construction, with some facilities believed by security analysts to be related to early warning radar or other military monitoring systems.

Currently, public information is not sufficient to confirm the final purpose of these facilities, but if they eventually form new radar, communication, or military support facilities, China's surveillance and control capabilities in the Paracel Islands may be further strengthened.

This is also one of the reasons why Vietnam has reacted quickly.

The Paracel Islands are located south of Hainan Island and east of central Vietnam, and are an important sea area connecting the northern and central parts of the South China Sea. Any new radar or military infrastructure could enhance the monitoring capability of surrounding sea and air activities.

AMTI satellite images show a suspected runway construction area on the northwest side of Crescent Reef, and related judgments still need to be confirmed by subsequent images.

Vietnam Is Not Protesting for the First Time

The official statement from Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 28 claimed that Vietnam has "sufficient historical evidence and legal basis" to claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, including Crescent Reef and Lincoln Island.

Vietnam also stated that it has made serious representations to China regarding the construction activities and demanded that they be stopped immediately and not repeated.

It should be noted that the term "illegal" is Vietnam's formal diplomatic and legal characterization of China's activities, rather than a ruling made by an international court regarding this specific construction activity.

This is not the first time Hanoi has publicly clashed with Beijing over the Paracels. In recent years, whenever China has carried out new administrative, tourism, fishery management, or infrastructure construction activities in the Paracels, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has usually quickly lodged a protest.

What's Really Worth Paying Attention to Is the Militarization Speed

The focus of this dispute is not just "who owns the island."

A more critical issue is whether China's military and surveillance facilities on the South China Sea reefs are continuing to expand.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) released an analysis of satellite images on August 14, showing that China's land reclamation on Crescent Reef has formed a large area of artificial land, with signs of suspected runway and supporting infrastructure construction in some areas.

AMTI said that the width of the area under construction is roughly the same as the existing runways on China's other reefs in the South China Sea, but no concrete or other pavement materials have been laid yet, so it is still in the early stages of construction.

These images can confirm the existence of construction but cannot alone prove the final purpose of the facilities. Judgments such as "early warning radar" or "military airport" still require subsequent satellite images, military technical analysis, or official information for further confirmation.

A Delicate Balance in China-Vietnam Relations

China and Vietnam maintain close political and economic ties, with both countries being ruled by communist parties, but the South China Sea issue has always been one of the most difficult structural contradictions in their bilateral relations.

The two countries maintain high-level party-to-party relations while constantly experiencing friction over maritime sovereignty issues.

This relationship forms a special state: the land border is generally stable, and economic exchanges continue to expand, but mutual trust at sea has long been insufficient.

China has actually controlled the Paracel Islands since

1. Vietnam has never given up its claim of sovereignty over the entire archipelago and has continued to maintain its stance through diplomatic statements, historical materials, and international law arguments.

The new construction activities on Lincoln Island and Crescent Reef have once again reminded the outside world that political cooperation between China and Vietnam has not eliminated the maritime sovereignty dispute.

What is most worth paying attention to in the future is not only whether Vietnam will continue to protest but also whether China will continue to expand its military facilities on the reefs and whether Vietnam will take more diplomatic, legal, or maritime actions in response.

"Focus on China" will continue to track the subsequent statements from Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense, as well as new satellite images and changes in South China Sea military deployments.