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China's Island-Building In Pictures

Posted by Soulskill on from the still-waiting-on-the-instructables-guide dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The South China Sea is just small enough to have high strategic value for military operations and just large enough to make territorial claims difficult. For over a year now, the world has been aware that China is using its vast resources to try and change that. Instead of fighting for claims on existing islands or arguing about how far their sovereignty should extend, they simply decided to build new islands. "The islands are too small to support large military units but will enable sustained Chinese air and sea patrols of the area. The United States has reported spotting Chinese mobile artillery vehicles in the region, and the islands could allow China to exercise more control over fishing in the region." The NY Times has a fascinating piece showing clear satellite imagery of the new islands, illustrating how a fleet a dredgers have dumped enormous amounts of sand on top of existing reefs. "Several reefs have been destroyed outright to serve as a foundation for new islands, and the process also causes extensive damage to the surrounding marine ecosystem." We can also see clear evidence of airstrips, cement plants, and other structures as the islands become capable of supporting them.

4 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Intervention? by xenotransplant · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Who cares why china is building islands and increasing instability in an already unstable area? Let's give them another Olympics!!!!

  2. Smashing idea by benjfowler · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Calling these things 'unsinkable aircraft carriers' shows just what a daft idea this is, militarily.

    In a no-holds-barred fight, they have a HUGE bullseye painted on them, and will be easy to take out. The general idea of naval power is to project power, and being able to hide this capability in plain sight in a huge ocean is what makes a movable aircraft carrier a better idea. You wouldn't use one of these to fight an actual war.

    Fixed fortifications are monuments to human stupidity. I could see this being like the Maginot Line or the Atlantic Wall.t

    The only reason why they would do this, is so that they can call it sovereign territory, and to game international border rules to their own benefit.

    1. Re:Smashing idea by dj245 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      In a no-holds-barred fight, they have a HUGE bullseye painted on them, and will be easy to take out.

      Easy being a relative term.

      Keep in mind that in World War II, the Japanese had lots of bases on little tiny islands. And it took hundreds of thousands of Marines to take them away.

      The only reason this was done was because carrier aircraft of the era didn't pack anywhere the same punch as land based aircraft. Land based aircraft didn't have the range to hit Japan from areas under US control and return to base. In-flight refueling was still very experimental. Island hopping is no longer necessary. These rocks are small enough to completely obliterate in an afternoon by air anyway. Anybody left is not going to be in a position to threaten high-flying aircraft or ships.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  3. Re:Touch it with a 12 mile pole. by Defenestrar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You get the 12 mile military and 200 mile fishing limits for your land per international law. However, this must be land above the water. You cannot find land under the surface, dump tons of dirt on it, and claim those rights, per same law.

    This doesn't mean you can't create the islands, but you can't do the 12 mile/200 mile thing. China [a nuclear power with a massive army and permanent UN veto] ... can.

    FTFY