In the turquoise waters of the South China Sea, one country is challenging Beijing’s grip on one of the world’s most important maritime thoroughfares. Over four years, Vietnam has built out a series of remote rocks, reefs and atolls to create heavily fortified artificial islands that expand its military footprint in the Spratly Islands, an archipelago where Hanoi’s claims clash not only with China’s but also with those of Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Built from sand, coral and rock carved from the bottom of the sea, the new islands now sport multiple ports, a 2-mile-long airstrip to accommodate large military aircraft, ample munitions storage and defensive trenches that could host heavy weaponry, according to satellite images reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and analysts who study the South China Sea. Vietnam’s outposts allow it to project power in the Spratlys and are a response to China’s own campaign to expand and fortify a series of rocks and atolls in the same island chain.

Full report : Vietnam Is Building Islands to Challenge China’s Hold on a Vital Waterway.