Vietnam imitating China’s island-making in South China Sea

Vietnam has quietly ramped up its military presence in the South China Sea, matching China’s island-building tactics to assert its territorial claims in the hotly contested maritime area. This month, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Vietnam has rapidly expanded its presence in the contested Spratly Islands, with high-resolution satellite imagery showing a tenfold increase in artificial land in the area over the last three years.

The WSJ report mentions that Vietnam’s expansion includes the construction of harbors, defensive trenches and potentially extended runways for military use. It notes that Vietnam’s actions mirror China’s, which previously built artificial islands equipped with observation towers, runways and other military infrastructure to assert dominance in the region. WSJ notes that while China has aggressively enforced its claims against the Philippines, it has not yet responded to Vietnam’s activities.

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