Satellite images reveal China building airbase on disputed South China Sea island

China appears to be building an airstrip at a disputed island in the South China Sea which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, satellite photos show.

The new airstrip is being built on Triton Island and is nearly 2,000 feet long, which is long enough to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers.

Though the exact timeframe of when the construction began is unknown, The Drive news site, which has access to the images captured by Planet Labs, reported that the construction started a few weeks ago.

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According to reports, the airstrip is still in its early stages and is difficult to determine what purpose it’s intended to serve.

China's militarisation of South China Sea continues

The AP news agency, on the other hand, said that the work on Triton Island in the Paracel group mirrors construction on seven human-made islands in the Spratly group to the east, which are equipped with airstrips, docks and military systems.

China seized full control of the Paracels from Vietnam in a brief 1974 naval conflict.

The satellite imagery also reveals a huge new work area, including a cement plant. It is being reported that this all came up within the last month.

Prior to the construction, the island housed an observation station with two radomes, a small helipad, harbour and large Chinese flags.

Triton also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan

Triton is one of the major islands in the Paracel group, and sandwiched between the coast of Vietnam and China’s island province of Hainan.

Though Vietnam and Taiwan have laid claims to the archipelago of some 130 coral islands and reefs spread over 5,800 square miles, China has treated the South China Sea area as its own since the 1970s.

China has been seeking to shore up its vast territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea by building island bases on coral atolls nearly a decade ago.

US Navy has regularly undertaken “freedom of navigation operations” near the Chinese-held islands since 2016. Triton was the focus of one of those missions in 2018.

Beijing has militarised several islands in the sea, including the Woody Island which hosts a near 9,000-foot-long runway for its naval and air force assets.

(With inputs from agencies)

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