China Island-Building Expands as Asean Leaders Gather in U.S.
- Images show China dredging and reclaiming land in Paracels
- Obama seeks to advance `shared vision of regional order'
Barack Obama hosts ASEAN leaders in Rancho Mirage.
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
China’s South China Sea island-building has expanded into the Paracel Islands, according to satellite photos published as Southeast Asian leaders gather in California for two days of talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Images posted on The Diplomat website show dredging and filling at two new sites in the Chinese-held island chain about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from a Chinese military base on Woody Island. The photos show a helicopter base under construction, according to the article by Victor Robert Lee, an analyst who tracks and analyzes China’s land-reclamation efforts using satellite imagery.