South China Sea: Beijing has extended another Spratly Islands reef, photos show

Land has been added in the past month to Subi Reef, also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam

It comes amid dispute over nearby Whitsun Reef, with a reported 200 Chinese vessels being labelled ‘maritime militia’ by the Philippines

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A video released by space technology firm Maxar shows a piece of land has been added to Subi Reef. Photo: Handout

Published: 12:00pm, 24 Mar 2021Updated: 12:38pm, 24 Mar 2021

China has reclaimed land to extend a reef in the Spratly Islands, in the disputed South China Sea, satellite images show.

Photographs taken by American space technology company Maxar showed that Subi Reef – which is also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam – had new land added to it that had not been visible in a satellite photo taken on February 20.

The new rectangle of land, about 2.85 hectares (7 acres) in size, had been added to the southern edge of the ring-shaped coral atoll, which encloses a lagoon and has a channel for vessels to enter and leave.

A circular pattern in one corner of the land suggested a tower or radome could be built there, according to Maxar.

The video from Maxar shows Subi Reef before the land was added. Photo: Handout

Collin Koh, a research fellow from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the new construction could be used for many purposes.

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