Over the years, China has been steadily consolidating and militarizing its entities in the East Sea, especially in the Spratly and Paracel Islands – two areas with fierce sovereignty disputes with many countries, including Vietnam.
 |
| Photo image ngọc tran |
Below is an overview of the main steps that demonstrate China's transformation of the East Sea into a "giant military base":
🇨🇳 1. Large-scale artificial island reclamation
China has illegally reclaimed and reclaimed more than 3,200 hectares of land on reefs such as Chu Thap, Subi, Vanh Khan, etc. in the Truong Sa archipelago.
Places that were once just reefs have now become "floating outposts" in the middle of the sea with runways longer than 3,000m, deep-water ports, and modern military complexes.
2. Deployment of modern weapons and military equipment
Satellite images show that China has deployed:
Long-range radar, air traffic control stations.
HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-12 anti-ship missiles.
Electronic warfare systems, jamming of communications and radar waves.
J-11 fighters, KJ-500 early warning aircraft, and H-6 bombers have also appeared at these bases.
3. Maintaining maritime militia and coast guard vessels
China uses a disguised "maritime militia", consisting of fishing boats equipped as patrol boats, to impose its presence and harass ships of other countries.
The Chinese Coast Guard is equipped with large ships, with guns, operating as a "second fleet", increasingly aggressive and dangerous.
4. Challenge international law and UNCLOS
China rejects the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Philippines' case against the illegal "nine-dash line".
China continuously violates the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, etc.
China's strategic goals:
Control the world's most important shipping route (about 3.5 - 5.3 trillion USD in trade each year).
Establish an "air defense identification zone" (ADIZ) in the East Sea in the future.
Intimidate countries in the region and expand military and political influence in Southeast Asia.
🇻🇳 Vietnam and the international community strongly protest
Vietnam continuously affirms its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, demanding that China end its violations.
The US, Japan, EU, and many countries condemn China's militarization and freedom of navigation patrols (FONOPs) to challenge its claims.
