November 18, 2023
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/18112023 ... ina-sea/(Eurasia Review) Vietnam has actively pursued its major expansion plan in the disputed South China Sea, nearly doubling newly-reclaimed areas in one year, a new report said.
Since December 2022, “Vietnam has created another 330 acres [133.5 hectares] of land” on rocks and reefs within the Spratly archipelago, according to the report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, think tank.
That was in addition to the 420 acres (170 hectares) reclaimed in 2022.
“By contrast, Vietnam had created just 120 acres [48 hectares] of land in the Spratlys between 2012 and 2022,” the report said.
“This all adds up to about a quarter of the more than 3,200 acres [1,295 hectares] of land created by China from 2013 to 2016, but it is far more island expansion than any other claimant besides China has undertaken.”