HONG KONG (Dispatches) – China has finished the initial construction phase on Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, building a man-made island that analysts say will become its largest military installation in the disputed waterway, according to satellite images reviewed by Reuters.
The reclamation, which took at least six months, now shows a feature nearly 6 km long with a straight coastline exceeding 3 km – potentially a future runway. A 680-metre wharf fronts a deep-water harbor, with one image showing a coast guard vessel alongside. Construction of buildings, including a helicopter pad, has begun in the southeast corner.
The move comes amid rising military pressure from the United States and its allies, who have intensified naval patrols and joint exercises near China’s territorial waters. Washington has repeatedly sent warships through the Taiwan Strait and conducted freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea, which China views as provocations undermining regional stability.
Regional security analysts say Antelope Reef will strengthen China’s military hold over the northern part of the vital waterway – a strategically critical area in any potential conflict over Taiwan. Ben Lewis of open-source platform PLATracker noted that the northern South China Sea would be particularly important in a Taiwan scenario, adding that Antelope is “ideally placed.”
China’s defense ministry has not responded to requests for comment. State media have described the project as serving civilian needs such as weather forecasting and scientific research. However, experts believe the base will host extensive surveillance equipment, potentially complicating submarine operations by the U.S. and Vietnam, both active in the area.
The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said excavation work for a new runway may have already started. Some analysts suggest the Paracels facilities could support China’s nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines by creating protected bastions close to home ports, avoiding exposure in the western Pacific.
China has administered all of the Paracels since 1974. Meanwhile, Vietnam has expanded its own bases in the Spratlys.
“It’s one more thing the United States would have to take care of in a conflict, and something they could attempt to defend from the China mainland,” said Carl Thayer of the Australian Defence Force Academy, underscoring how the buildup adds complexity for U.S. forces while strengthening China’s defensive posture against external provocations.