(UPDATES) WHILE the Philippines and China were busy wrangling over disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea, Vietnam quietly expanded its territory by building islands, a report said.
The Washington-based independent think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said that in the last six months, Vietnam had created almost as much new land in its outposts in the South China Sea as it had in the previous two years combined.
The AMTI said this puts Vietnam on pace for a record year of island building in 2024.
Based on the report, since November 2023, Vietnam has created 280 hectares of land across 10 features in the South China Sea.
In comparison, it created 163.5 hectares of land in the first 11 months of 2023 and 138.4 hectares in 2022.
"This brings the total of Vietnam's overall dredging and landfill in disputed areas of the South China Sea to approximately 955 hectares, roughly half of China's 1,882 hectares," the AMTI said in its report.
Several features that Vietnam has expanded are claimed by other countries, including the Philippines.
Vietnam's largest outpost at Mascardo (Barque Canada) Reef has nearly doubled in size over the last six months from 96 hectares to 167 hectares. The reef, occupied by Vietnam since 1988, is also claimed by the Philippines, China, Malaysia and Taiwan.
According to AMTI, Mascardo is currently 4,318 meters in length, making it the only Vietnamese outpost so far with the potential to host a 3,000-meter runway like those that China has at Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, Panganiban (Mischief) Reef and Zamora (Subi) Reef, all of which are also claimed by the Philippines.
Vietnam has also expanded its outposts in Paredes (Discovery Great) Reef, where it has created 41 hectares of new land over the past six months; Timog (South) Reef, where a total of 21 hectares of new land has been created; Binago (Namyit) Island, where 16 hectares of land has been reclaimed; and Hizon (Pearson) Reef, where 15 hectares of new land has been built.
Notable structures constructed in its expanded outposts include boat ramps, temporary helipads, trenches and coastal defense emplacements. A new harbor is also being constructed at one of the features occupied by Vietnam.
All of these South China Sea features are also claimed by the Philippines.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the Philippine government is "monitoring" the island-building activities of Vietnam in the South China Sea.
Trinidad noted that the Philippines is on friendly terms with Vietnam, considering that, unlike China, "it does not initiate illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions against us."
This sentiment is shared by Commo. Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, who declared that Vietnam "minds its affairs" and does not deploy its vessels to harass Filipino fishermen."
On the other hand, the pro-China think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI) has been pointing out for a decade that Vietnam is the most aggressive rival claimant of the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute and has published the article "Vietnam: The Prowling Wolf in the Spratlys" in 2020.
ACPSSI President Herman Tiu Laurel said that as far back as 1975, Vietnam had seized Philippine-occupied Pugad Island (Southwest Cay) from the Philippine Marines through deception.
Laurel said Vietnam has continued to aggressively pursue its island and fortress installation building largely unnoticed under cover of the United States strategic propaganda campaign.
He said international and regional media have also been "in collusion" providing cover for Vietnam's "rapacious island acquisition and building."
"As recently as May 22, 2024, an Asian news platform attributed the report of a Chinese think tank that Vietnam had reclaimed land in the Spratlys in the past three years more than its past four decades but attributed the report to the alleged desire of China to shift the blame over the territorial row to Vietnam and portray it as a 'troublemaker,'" said Laurel.
He said the "widening revelations" of Vietnam's expansion should remind all parties to the dispute that the continuing call of China and Asean to "properly handle maritime disputes and differences through negotiation and consultation with relevant countries" is the paramount action all parties should adhere to and avoid provocative actions.
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