Vietnam in big push to expand South China Sea outposts: US think tank

WASHINGTON (Reuters): Vietnam has conducted a major expansion of dredging and landfill work at several of its South China Sea outposts in the second half of this year, signaling an intent to significantly fortify its claims in the disputed waterway, a US think tank reported on Wednesday (Dec 14).

Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said the work in the Spratly Islands (pic), which are also claimed by China and others, had created roughly 420 acres (170 hectares) of new land and brought the total area Vietnam had reclaimed in the past decade to 540 acres (220 hectares).