How Beijing’s islands of control are reshaping the South China Sea

South China Morning Post  |  Laura Zhou

China has successfully established functional administrative and military control over the South China Sea, effectively neutralizing the landmark 2016 Hague arbitral tribunal ruling. By constructing heavily fortified artificial islands equipped with runways, radar systems, and advanced missile batteries, Beijing has secured a permanent operational presence that deters rival claimants and alters regional security dynamics.

This physical transformation of the maritime landscape represents a shift from historical legal disputes to de facto territorial consolidation. These militarised outposts allow the People's Liberation Army to project power across critical sea lanes, challenging the freedom of navigation operations conducted by the United States and its regional allies. Consequently, neighbouring Southeast Asian nations face intense pressure to accept joint development agreements on Beijing's terms rather than relying on international legal frameworks. As these islands of control expand, the prospects for a binding Code of Conduct diminish, cementing a new geopolitical reality in the disputed waters.

Comment

New Delhi must anticipate that China's fortified maritime bastions will eventually facilitate permanent People's Liberation Army Navy deployments in the eastern Indian Ocean. The militarisation of Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Reef provides the logistical springboards necessary to sustain long-range submarine patrols through the Malacca Strait. To counter this projection, the Indian Navy must accelerate its own infrastructure development on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Establishing persistent maritime domain awareness at these choke points is now a critical defensive necessity.

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