China advances with Johnson South Reef construction - IHS Jane's 360 :thumb:
Satellite imagery dated 14 August 2014 shows ongoing construction and development of the new island on Johnson South Reef in the Spratly Islands. (PLEIADES © CNES 2014, Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image S.A. / IHS)
Satellite imagery provided by Airbus Defence and Space illustrates substantial and significant progress in China's construction of an island on Johnson South Reef in the Spratly Islands.
Until early 2014 the only manmade feature at the reef was a small concrete platform that housed a communications facility, garrison building, and pier. This platform has now been surrounded by an island that is approximately 400 m across at its widest points and has an area of about 100,000 m 2 .
Workers have built a reinforced seawall around the whole island. There are also two roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) docks and a pier on the northwest side. Foundations for what could be a large building can be seen on the southwestern side, while other elements include desalination pumps, a concrete plant, and a fuel dump.
Johnson South Reef is not the only Chinese construction site in the Spratly Islands. Images dated 13 September and released by Chinese state media show similar construction on Huayang Reef, known internationally as Cuateron Reef. The images of Cuateron Reef, which is part of the London Reefs group and on the southwest side of the Spratlys, show desalination plants, cranes, and drills, along with piles of construction materials.
AISLive ship tracking data reported by IHS Jane's in June 2014 showed Ting Jing Hao , a dredger responsible for most of China's land reclamation in the Spratlys, had visited Cuateron Reef three times since September 2013, most recently 10 April to 22 May 2014.
Ting Jing Hao was responsible for the lion's share of dredging at Johnson South Reef and has also visited Gaven Reefs, which is in the centre of the Spratly Islands and close to Itu Aba (Taiping Island). Itu Aba is occupied by Taiwan.
Images released by the Philippine government in August also showed substantial reclamation by China at Kennan (Chigua) Reef: one of the Union Reefs and surrounded by other reefs occupied by Vietnam.
COMMENT
In all the cases outlined above, China is building islands around concrete platforms that it constructed on the reefs during the 1980s and 1990s. As previously reported, China's extensive programme of land reclamation in the Spratlys ignores the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, a non-binding statement that committed the disputing countries to avoid escalating the situation by construction or militarisation of the features they occupy.
As also previously reported, China is not the only country to ignore this declaration: Vietnam and Taiwan have both extended and upgraded facilities on their respective islands. However, Beijing's activities in the Spratlys in the past 12 months are a major challenge to the status quo as they create land masses that are capable of supporting garrisons in areas very close to the other countries' occupied territories.
The history of conflict in the South China Sea suggests that such bases could be used as jumping-off points for assaults on these nearby features, although so far China has preferred to emphasise its claims in the region by using paramilitary maritime vessels and blockades.
China expands runway, harbour at Woody Island - IHS Jane's 360 :thumb:
Airbus Defence and Space imagery shows land reclamation, harbour modifications and other ongoing construction at Yongxing Dao, also known as Woody Island: part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. (CNES 2014, Distribution Airbus DS/Spot Image/IHS)
China continues to expand Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Satellite imagery shows that since October 2013 China has undertaken substantial land reclamation, harbour redevelopment and other infrastructure construction on the island, which is known as Yongxing Dao by China and Phu Lam Island by Vietnam.
China has occupied Woody Island since 1956 and, since then, has established a military garrison, coastal defensive positions, the runway, four large aircraft hangars, communications facilities, and a municipal headquarters. Vietnam claims the Paracels, as does Taiwan.
Previous satellite imagery analysis by IHS Jane's shows that between 2005 and 2011 authorities constructed a new harbour on the west side of the island; since October 2013 a breakwater immediately south of that harbour has been removed and more dredging work has been carried out.
The land reclamation is occurring at two areas in particular: at either end of the island's 2,400 m-long runway, and to fill in the gap between Woody Island and the causeway to Shi Dao (Rocky Island): a small outcrop that is believed to house a secure communications facility.
The dredgers are depositing sand onto an area on the southwest end of the runway; spoil is also being deposited on the runway's northeast end. If all of this new land is used for the runway, then the strip will increase from 2,400 m to 2,700-2,800 m. This increases the safety envelope for PLA Air Force bombers like the H-6 and strategic transport aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-76.
IHS Maritime has used AISLive data to identify one of the dredgers being used as Xin Hai Tun , a cutter suction dredger built by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard and operated by SDC Orient Dredging and Engineering. Other dredgers operating in the area appear to be barges fitted with clamshell dredgers. Alongside are a number of container ships, including one called Xing He Yuan 1 , which is owned by Taizhou Xinghe Shipping Co Ltd. The company's website highlights its expertise in dyke and pier construction.
ANALYSIS
Along with the Spratly Islands, the Paracels are at the heart of the continuing South China Sea (SCS) dispute. Whereas the Spratlys' location in the southern part of the SCS has previously limited Chinese activities there, the Paracels' proximity to Hainan island has meant Beijing has been able to expand its jurisdiction and administration of them. Woody Island has been a particular focus and, in July 2012, was designated the capital of Sansha Prefecture, which is part of Hainan province.
The moves to extend the runway and rebuild the harbour on the west side of the island will enhance Woody Island's utility as a military base from which to project power in the SCS. The Paracels' strategic location close to the centre of the SCS also means China can use them as a base for constabulary operations, whether that is enforcing fishing regulations unilaterally imposed by Beijing or to potentially interdict shipping traversing the region, where Beijing move to do this as part of a wider sea control strategy.
In the short to medium term, it is unlikely that China would move to do so, as the sea lanes in this part of the SCS serve its ports - such as Hong Kong and Shanghai - and as such freedom of passage is in China's interest.
