The Truth about China’s South China Sea Land Reclamation Announcement

Jun 18, 2015 | Prashanth Parameswaran
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Earlier this week, as The Diplomat reported, China declared that some of its land reclamation work in the South China Sea will be completed soon. Considering the feverish pace of Chinese activity in this respect over the past few months, one might be tempted to heave a sigh of relief.

That would be a tragic mistake. A closer look suggests that the announcement does not tell us anything new about what China is doing or ease our doubts about what it is going to do in the South China Sea.

First, the announcement tells us nothing new. In his remarks, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang notes that “the land reclamation project of China’s construction on some stationed islands and reefs…will be completed in the upcoming days” [emphasis mine]. The key word here is “some.” Since the announcement refers to completed construction on some, rather than all features, it doesn’t tell us anything we do not already know. It is pretty clear to those who follow China’s land reclamation activities closely that work in some features, such as Fiery Cross Reef, is nearly complete, while work in others, like Mischief Reef, is still ongoing. The announcement thus merely confirms the status quo rather than indicates any significant change.