Forbes: China Took Over The Island While All Eyes Were On Iran

It features a runway about 2,700 meters long.

While all the attention of world leaders is focused on the events in the Persian Gulf, China has managed to virtually annex territory in the South China Sea by building an artificial island 400 kilometers from Vietnam, Forbes reports.

It is known that Chinese dredgers worked at an astonishing speed, turning the Antelope Reef into dry land. According to the media, Beijing is waging a "legal war" and rehearsing hostilities in front of the world.

Vietnam's first strong protest was reportedly not received until March 2026 - more than five months after the dredging began.

China is trying to legalize the seizure through its own interpretation of maritime law, which Forbes calls illegal. It is noted that according to the UN Convention, the status of a site is fixed in its state before reclamation, so the construction does not give the PRC automatic rights to the surrounding resources.

Satellite images have recorded more than 50 structures and an airstrip about 2,700 meters long at the new site. Experts say it will give China a huge advantage in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. Official Beijing has traditionally denied the accusations.

"The necessary construction on our own territory is aimed at improving living and working conditions on the islands and developing the local economy," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on March 23.

It is also noted that the new base is located just 300 kilometers from the PRC's submarine base, which could allow the Chinese to more effectively block U.S. intelligence operations.

The source recalled that such activities had already been declared illegal by international arbitration in 2016. However, Beijing called the decision a "piece of waste paper."

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