China could be building a landing strip on a disputed island

China may be building what appears to be a landing strip on a disputed island in the South China Sea, claimed simultaneously by Vietnam and Taiwan, according to satellite photos analyzed by the AP.

The images, captured by the Planet Labs company on Triton Island, in the Paracelsus archipelago, would show the construction of a landing strip more than 600 meters long, long enough to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not aircraft. combat or bombers.

Additionally, a huge work area can be seen with a large number of vehicle tracks running across part of the island, along with what appear to be containers and construction equipment. The exact purpose of the construction remains unclear.

According to TheDrive, the work is in an initial stage and began a few weeks ago, since images captured in mid-July did not show the activity. Meanwhile, various analysts point out that it is too early to ensure that this is a clue.

“It’s too short, it’s too thin, it doesn’t look like any of the landing strips that China has built anywhere in the South China Sea,” Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in China, told ABC. the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I don’t see compelling evidence that that’s what it is,” he added.

Triton Island, which is approximately the same distance from the coast of Vietnam and the Chinese island province of Hainan, already contained small ports and a heliport. Beijing considers the Paracel Islands as a territory under its sovereignty, while for the international community they are disputed territories between China and Vietnam.

To defend its position, the Asian giant previously built military facilities on seven artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, located further east. These have been equipped with landing strips, docks and military systems, although they currently appear to be somewhat more modest in scale.

The South China Sea has been a constant source of tension for years as it is the subject of territorial and maritime claims by multiple actors: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

In 2016, the Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Beijing’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea was incompatible with international law. However, Beijing rejected this ruling. With RT

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