Vietnam has deployed military equipment to the islands it controls in the South China Sea over the past two years. Some experts say the move is intended to deter any attacks from China. China is the main country in the South China Sea dispute.
A report released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a division of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, said the Vietnamese government has strengthened bunkers, coastal defenses and communications facilities.
Vietnam is one of six countries claiming full or partial sovereignty over the South China Sea, which is rich in resources.
Gregory Poling, head of the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative, said, “Vietnam wants to make sure it has some sort of second-strike capability, so make sure it has at least some missile platforms on the island that can strike Chinese bases.”
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all claim full or partial sovereignty over this stretch of sea from Hong Kong to Borneo. The 3.5 million square kilometer stretch of water is rich in fisheries, navigational resources and undersea fossil fuel reserves. Each country has de facto control over a number of islands and atolls in the Spratly Islands (known in China as the Spratlys), where Vietnamese military installations are also located.
The Chinese government claims that 90 percent of the waters are under its jurisdiction, citing historical usage records to support this claim. China, which has the world’s third-largest military power, pioneered the reclamation of islands in the disputed waters about a decade ago, backed by its powerful military, and has deployed military equipment on some of the islets. China has conducted military exercises and sent ships through waters claimed by other countries, prompting the United States to send warships to the area.
With the completion of the latest fortifications, Vietnam will rank second behind China in island defense. China has reclaimed about 1,200 hectares of land to strengthen its control over islands and atolls, and Vietnam has reclaimed about 1/20th the size of China.
Vietnam does not expect to win any conflict with China, nor is it considered likely to attack any other country. Regional analysts believe that Vietnam wants to show China that it can defend itself if attacked.
Carl Thayer, a professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales in Australia who studies Southeast Asia, said, “It’s a signal to China that if you attack, there will be a price to pay, and it’s not as easy as it was yesterday when the henhouse was unguarded, and now we have the ability to defend it.”
Vietnam and China have endured decades of border disputes, with clashes at sea between the two countries in 1974 and 1988, both resulting in casualties, and in 2014, China’s deployment of an oil rig in disputed waters triggered a ship collision that led to deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.
The website of the Maritime Transparency Initiative for Asia (MTIA) cites “significant new construction” on the Vietnam-controlled West Reef in the Spratly Islands. Citing satellite images, the website said there are several sea defense facilities, administrative buildings, concrete platforms and shelters, and a tower structure that may be used for communications.
The website said Vietnam has made “significant upgrades” to its control of Sin Cowe Island over the past two years, with construction of coastal defense facilities, and said the work began in 2019.
Polin said the 10 islands under Vietnamese control all have some sort of military facility.
He said the new facilities have improved coastal guns to deter any Chinese amphibious landings, and that Vietnam also wants to stop Chinese interference in resupplying the Vietnamese-controlled islands, which China has also interfered with the Philippines’ resupply of islands it claims as its own.
Other Spratly Islands facilities in Vietnam are also equipped with radar, and Vietnam hopes missile platforms there can “target Chinese bases” if needed, Bolin said.
Nguyen Thanh Trung, director of the Center for International Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, said, “The Vietnamese government is concerned about the Chinese government’s artificial land reclamation, so they want to do something to strengthen the islands’ defenses as well.”
Nguyen Thanh Trung said Vietnamese officials have not made public comments about the new island facilities, and Vietnam’s mass media rarely talk about the topic.
He said Vietnam wants to keep a low profile and emphasize self-defense, and that if they build the islands to China’s level, then other Southeast Asian countries will be less supportive of Vietnam.
China’s official media Globe on March 1 responded to the findings of the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative by saying that China’s “sovereignty” over the sea is “undisputed.
The report quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying that China urges any neighboring countries with disputes to seek solutions through friendly bilateral dialogue.
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