According to a recent report on the situation in the South China Sea published by U.S. technology company Simularity, China has been building military facilities on Mischief Reef, just over 100 nautical miles from Palawan Island in the Philippines, for several months, possibly turning the area into a military base, BBC reported.
The company’s report, which compared satellite images of the area from May last year to February this year, noted that construction of a circular building foundation began on the island in December, in addition to a new radome being built, and that new structures have appeared elsewhere since last October.
Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, told the media that the new construction facilities indicate China’s long-term intentions.
The artificial island of Mischief Reef is now the largest of the Spratly Islands and is at the forefront of China’s control over the island. U.S. and Chinese warships have repeatedly confronted each other near Mischief Reef in recent years.
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