Vietnam Intensifies Island Expansion in China Sea, Says U.S. Think Tank

The recent expansion, significantly larger than previous years, makes Vietnam second only to China in terms of island build-up in the contested Spratly Islands.

• Vietnam has been increasing its dredging and landfill work in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands, creating an additional 330 acres of land since December last year, according to a report by the U.S. think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
• This expansion is significantly larger than the 120 acres Vietnam created between 2012 and 2022, making it second only to China in terms of island build-up in the Spratly Islands.
• The most noticeable expansion by Vietnam was at Barque Canada Reef, where 210 acres of land were created in the past year.
• Vietnam's efforts have remained focused on dredging and landfill, with construction of infrastructure yet to begin.
• In August, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam rejected a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea.

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