China resumes island-building, largest reported

China is expanding Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands into what could become its largest artificial island in the South China Sea. (philstar.com) (amti.csis.org) The new estimate comes from the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which said satellite imagery shows about 1,490 acres of reclaimed land at Antelope Reef. (amti.csis.org) (philstar.com) That puts Antelope Reef within about 14 acres of Mischief Reef, China’s biggest existing outpost in the South China Sea at roughly 1,504 acres. (amti.csis.org) (philstar.com) The dredging at Antelope Reef began in October 2025, according to the think tank, making it China’s first significant new island-building campaign in the South China Sea since 2017. (amti.csis.org) (lowyinstitute.org) Antelope Reef sits in the Crescent group of the Paracel Islands, which China controls but Vietnam and Taiwan also claim. The reef is about 216 nautical miles from Da Nang and about 162 nautical miles from Sanya on Hainan, according to AMTI. (amti.csis.org) AMTI said the reclaimed land is already large enough to fit a 9,000-foot runway, matching the scale of airstrips China has built at Woody Island, Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross Reef. (amti.csis.org) The group also said more than 50 small gray-roofed structures and a helipad have appeared near the lagoon entrance, suggesting the project has moved beyond dredging into early construction. (amti.csis.org) Lowy Institute analyst Lowell Bautista wrote that the early work appears focused on berthing facilities, access for construction vessels and a stable platform for later infrastructure rather than obvious military systems. (lowyinstitute.org) AMTI said a finished outpost at Antelope Reef could support coast guard, naval and maritime militia operations, and could eventually host surveillance systems, missile facilities and other hardened infrastructure. (amti.csis.org) (philstar.com) Vietnam protested the reclamation in March after reports of accelerated dredging, according to regional coverage, underscoring that the project is unfolding on one of the South China Sea’s most contested island chains. (scmp.com) The immediate question is not whether Antelope Reef creates new legal rights. The question is how much permanent capacity China can add to waters where it already operates a dense network of ships, aircraft and outposts. (lowyinstitute.org)