Vietnam reclaiming land in South China Sea: Report

Vietnam has carried out significant land reclamation at two sites in disputed South China Sea waters, recent satellite pictures show, but analysts say the scale of the work is dwarfed by that of China.

The images, taken late last month by DigitalGlobe and shown on the website of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), show land expansions at Sand Cay and West London Reef, both part of the Spratly Islands.

“Between August 2011 and February 2015 significant upgrades were made to (Sand Cay),” CSIS said, noting the island’s land mass had expanded from 41,690 to 62,970 square meters.

Vietnam also appears to have added “defensive structures,” including trenches and gun emplacements, it said.

At West Reef -- which is part of the London Reefs group of western Spratly Islands -- some 65,000 meters of land have been reclaimed with new structures, including a harbour, being added, it said.

The work appears to have begun in August 2012, CSIS said, long before Beijing launched a flurry of reclamation projects last year.