China's illegal construction activities in the East Sea have worried many countries. Below is the timeline of China's activities in the East Sea from 2012 to early 2015, compiled by VietNamNet.

July 2012: China blatantly established so-called 'Sansha City'

A runway is being formed on the Fiery Cross Reef.

In July 2012, China blatantly established the so-called "city of Sansha" (the administrative unit including the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa of Vietnam) despite objections from Vietnam and the international community.

On October 1, 2012 China held the flag-hoisting ceremony to celebrate its National Day on Phu Lam Island (Woody Island) of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands).

On October 3, 2012, China’s South Sea Fleet held emergency duty drills in the waters of Paracel Islands.

On October 8, 2012, China established the Meteorological Department of the city of Shansa.

At a regular press conference of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated October 11, answering questions from reporters about the response of Vietnam against Chinese acts, the Ministry’s spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi stated:

"The above activities of China have seriously violated the sovereignty of Vietnam for the two archipelagoes of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, international law, the fundamental agreement to solve sea-related issues between Vietnam and China signed in October 2011, and the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (East Sea) signed in 2002 between ASEAN and China, making the East Sea situation more complex. The acts of China are completely worthless.

Vietnam asks China to respect the sovereignty of Vietnam, to not continue further similar misconduct, and to contribute practically to the development of friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and China and the maintenance of peace and stability in the East Sea."

China plans to build artificial island near Vietnam’s Gac Ma Reef (Johnson South Reef)

This plan was revealed by the Global Times on May 25, 2014. An artificial island will be built by China’s No 9 Shipbuilding Company and the Construction Mechanical Research Institute.

The Chinatopix website cited the Global Times as saying that China planned to build an artificial island in the East Sea to compete with the Philippines and Vietnam in the claims of sovereignty in this region.

China planned to build an artificial island near the Johnson South Reef. This is a reef of the Truong Sa Archipelago (Spratly Islands) of Vietnam, which was occupied illegally by China in 1988.

China occupies two more reefs of Truong Sa & the Philippines accuses China of changing the status quo at five reefs in the East Sea

President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines on June 5, 2014 said that China had deployed many vessels to explore two reefs of the Truong Sa Archipelago of Vietnam.

According to Philstar and the AP, Mr. Aquino said Chinese vessels which looked similar to those used to transport sand and gravel at the Johnson South Reef around the two other reefs named Ga Ven (Gaven) and Chau Vien (Cuarteron) of the Truong Sa Archipelago.

Philstar also quoted Malacañang’s confidential report as saying that China was taking action to change the status quo of the Johnson South Reef, Cuarteron Reef, Gaven Reef, Tu Nghia (Hughes Reef) and En Dat (Eldad Reef).

This report did not exclude the other three reefs of Chu Thap (Fiery Cross Reef), Xu Bi (Subi Reef) and Vanh Khan (Mischief Reef), which are also at risk of having their status quo changed by China after it completes the conquest of these five reefs.

Many experts believe that, although Truong Sa is far off the coast of Hainan, China is attempting to establish sovereignty on the legal range of 200 nautical miles from an artificial island they will build or an island that they can control in the East Sea.

China plans to create an oasis in Hoang Sa & China blatantly dredged canals in Hoang Sa

On 25/7/2014, the Central China Television (CCTV) reported on the so-called "the city of Sansha" celebrating its second anniversary.

The mayor of the so-called Sansha City - Xiao Jie – said he believed in the “great change” here in the future, saying that "we will turn it into an oasis amid the sea" and expressed the desire to turn Sansha into a green island, despite the high cost.

Also in July, the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) cited Xinhua as saying that China was dredging channels around the island of Duy Mong (Drummond Island) of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago.

In this regard, the Vietnam Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Le Hai Binh said that Vietnam has repeatedly asserted its undisputed sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. All activities of China in the two islands are worthless.

Does China arbitrarily do anything on islands in the East Sea?

Yi Xian Liang, vice president of the Commission for Borders and Oceans of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the media that China has every right to build facilities on the islands that Yi called “belong to China” as a way to “improve basic living conditions there”.

He blatantly stated: "The Spratly Islands are China's inherent territory and it depends on the Chinese Government to do or not to do anything on the islands. No one can change the view of the Chinese government."

China prepares for construction of lighthouses on five islands of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago

On August 6, 2014, Xinhua quoted an announcement of the "South Sea" Maritime Safety Center as saying that this agency had completed survey and field measurements at five islands in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago to serve the selection of sites for building lighthouses.

The five islands in survey include Da Bac (North Reef), Hai Sam (Antelope Reef), Duy Mong (Drummond Island), Cat Nam (South Sand) and Hon Thap (Pyramid Rock). The Chinese side also said it would continue geological surveys and collect geological samples of the islands of Hoang Sa in order to collect data to build lighthouses.

The Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh said: "Vietnam has undisputed sovereignty of both archipelagoes of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa and all activities of China in the two islands are illegal and invalid."

China nears 'climax' of island rehabilitation in the East Sea

The Philstar on August 29, 2014 reported that besides a newly-built island in the Johnson South Reef, China’s project to renovate the islands in the East Sea was in the urgent stage on three other reefs in the Spratly Islands which belong to Vietnam, including Gaven, Chigua and Calderon.

“Improving Johnson South Reef is more dangerous than deploying drilling rig”

Experts analyzed China’s plot in illegally renovating the Johnson South Reef of the Truong Sa Archipelago of Vietnam.

Former Vietnamese Ambassador to the UN, chief negotiator for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, Mr. Vo Anh Tuan pointed out the three big plots of China in the improvement of the Johnson South Reef.

The former chief of the Government Border Affairs Committee – Mr Tran Cong Truc – said that China’s illegal construction activities in the Johnson South Reef are more dangerous than the anchoring of the HD-981 drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters.

Australian newspaper published photos of China’s building of artificial islands in the East Sea

Pictures of Fairfax Media (Australia) showed that China was rapidly building artificial islands on reefs in the East Sea.

Gaven Reef in May 2014.         Gaven Reef in June 2014.           Gaven Reef in July 2014.           Ken Nan Reef in April 2014           Ken Nan Reef on July 29, 2014. Source: Theage

China builds artificial islands in the East Sea. What does Vietnam say?

On September 25, 2014, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman stressed that China should not take any action that would further complicate the situation.

China blatantly published photographs of the construction of a runway on Hoang Sa

On October 9, 2014, the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) reported that China for the first time released many photos of the runway that they just built on Hoang Sa.

According to analysts, the Woody Island is 1.8km wide but the newly-built runway is more than 2,000m long. This led analysts to the conclusion that the runway could be used for military purposes.

US newspaper: Xi Jinping approves 'island renovation' plan

The New York Times cited information from Takungpao Newspaper (Hong Kong) and United News Daily (Taiwan) as saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping approved the plan to improve islands in the East Sea.

China turns Fiery Cross Reef into the largest island in Truong Sa & Vietnam exchanges diplomatic note of objection

On October 21, 2014, the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) quoted Chinese scholars as saying that China had turned a reef with an important strategic position into the largest island in the archipelago of Truong Sa (of Vietnam) and the expansion continued.

Analysts said that China’s expansion of the Fiery Cross Reef is to provide an important outpost for military and trade operations in the disputed area in the East Sea.

On November 6, 2014, representatives of the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to hand in a diplomatic note of opposition against China’s illegal construction activities on the Fiery Cross Reef.

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh stated: "China’s actions have seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa Archipelago and international law. It is contrary to the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as the agreement on the basic principles to solve sea-related issues between Vietnam and China, disrupting the status quo, causing a stressful, complex situation, which is not conducive to peace and stability in the region."

“Vietnam asks China to respect the sovereignty of Vietnam, strictly implement the DOC, and immediately stop the renovation, construction, and breaking of the status quo in Truong Sa Archipelago the Spratly Islands, and not repeat similar wrongdoings.”

China builds floating port in Truong Sa

IHS Jane's Weekly Journal quoted officials from the China Ship Scientific Research Center (CSSRC), an affiliate of the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), as saying that China is developing floating ports in the Paracels and Spratlys Islands (both belong to Vietnam).

Visual depictions of these ports were displayed at Shiptec China 2014.

The floating harbors will likely help China quickly build small settlement areas on the remote islands. It can provide the basic needs for a settlement area and support the expansion and renovation of islands. If these ports are deployed on a large scale, China can build large residential areas in the Paracels and Spratlys Islands to serve its illegal sovereignty claims.

Occupy the sea Chinese-style

According to the US-based Huffington Post, in the history of the world, countries have sought to expand territory by bribery, lawsuits, oppression or using forces. However, while many countries want to dominate the ocean, no one attempts to dominate the sea.

But that is what China is actively doing in the East Sea.

To dominate one of the most important waters in the world, China tries to control the three main islands in the East Sea and several smaller groups of islands. Very few of these islands are inhabited. Some islands are regularly submerged, and only emerge at low tide.

If China can claim sovereignty over these islands, they can use them to expand into the neighborhood. At first China can claim sovereignty over the 12 nautical miles around each island and can also claim a 200 nautical mile economic zone in the related areas. Then, China can connect these islands and take over most of the East Sea.

China changes islands to change the status quo of the East Sea

At the 2-day meeting in Manila, the Philippines, officials of both countries – the Philippines and the United States -- expressed deep concern about China’s promotion of the improvement of the islands in the disputed areas in the East Sea. They described the current state of these works as "great" and "expanding".

On January 21, 2015, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines –Evan Garcia - said in a press conference that, "We have reaffirmed our concerns about the destabilizing activities, contrary to the Declaration on the Conduct of the  Parties in the South China Sea as well as international law."

Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russell described China's actions as a "major concern" not only to the claimants, but to all Pacific countries, especially the United States.

ASEAN Foreign Ministers concerned about China’s rehabilitation of islands in the East Sea

After the conference of ASEAN Foreign Ministers and related meetings in the city of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia on January 27-28, ASEAN ministers expressed their concern about China’s improvement of islands in the East Sea and pledged to speed up efforts to find solutions for the problems.

According to Kyodo, the Philippines issued a separate statement after the meeting.

China expands military infrastructure on artificial islands in the East Sea

According to the Los Angeles Times, China is building a chain of artificial islands in order to strengthen its position over the dispute in the East Sea. The newspaper said that China is building five artificial islands to consolidate its claims in this strategic area. The largest island is the Fiery Cross Reef on the Spratly Islands of Vietnam.

US officials estimated that China’s construction on this reef can provide a runway that is long enough for most Chinese military aircraft. Beijing is also reportedly building a small port on the island.

China is also expanding artificial islands in other areas such as the Johnson South Reef, Gaven Reef and Cuarteron Reef. "China seems to be expanding and upgrading military and civilian infrastructure including radar, satellite communications equipment, air defense, naval guns, helicopter landing fields and docks on some artificial islands," according to a report by the US Economic and Security Assessment Commission in December 2014.

According to this report, once the runway is put into operation, the Chinese army can use it as a "boot" for air-defence activities supporting naval ships in the East Sea.

According to Mr. Saburo Tanaka, a Japanese expert specializing in the study of the Chinese army, the artificial islands in the East Sea will help China both envelop the sea resupply route in the northern Strait of Malacca and prevent the Pacific Fleet of the United States from entering the East Sea from the Celebes Sea.

Hong Nhi