Hanoi in major push to expand South China Sea outposts

THE country 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, signalling an intent to significantly fortify its claims in the disputed waterway, a US think tank reported.

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