Satellite images show China constructing proposed full-size runway at Antelope Reef in Paracel Islands

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Reuters reported that satellite images showed that the construction site at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands (called Paracel Islands in China and Hoang Sa Islands in Vietnam) was undergoing site grading operations, with gravel and concrete piled and compaction equipment at work, aiming to build a full-size runway. It could become one of China's most important offshore military strongholds in the region, according to military officials and security analysts.

The images, taken on September 25 by commercial satellite imagery provider Vantor, also show a barge laden with gravel heading towards a newly constructed dock.

According to reports, once the construction of this base is completed, it will mark China’s most significant military expansion in the South China Sea in the past decade. This move will extend the scope of activities of Chinese naval ships and military aircraft and penetrate into this increasingly militarized competitive field. In the South China Sea, Beijing is competing with the United States and its allies over Taiwan.

Ben Lewis, founder of the open source data platform PLATracker, said: "If the construction progress of Fiery Cross Reef is used as a reference, the runway is expected to be laid in the first half of 2027, and the first landing will be achieved in mid-2027 - or even earlier." The Fiery Cross Reef he mentioned is located further south, located in the disputed Spratly Islands (Spratly) Islands, where China built a 3-kilometer runway in 2015.

"They have ten years to ramp up the pace of construction," Lewis said. However, he noted that there had been no signs of excavations to build munitions and fuel storage facilities, which would normally be required for a base of this size.

China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

China has also not acknowledged that it is building new military bases in the area. Official media stated that the facilities at Antelope Reef will serve civilian needs such as weather forecasting, marine and scientific research.

Establishing a base at Antelope Reef, located in the northern part of the South China Sea, will help extend the deployment time of various types of Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft, and protect access to the waters around Hainan Island. Ballistic missile submarines carrying nuclear warheads are deployed at military bases on Hainan Island.

Reuters reported in late August that a new facility was discovered on Yagong Island, a smaller island near Antelope Reef; however, analysts have not yet been able to determine the possible use of the trident-shaped building.

In addition to China, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over the entire Paracel Islands. China ousted then-South Vietnamese troops from their positions in the Paracel Islands in a brief battle in 1974 and has held the islands ever since, despite Hanoi's objections. Vietnam's foreign ministry and Taiwan's defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Progress on Antelope Reef comes as China this week confirmed it would build a new joint military support facility in neighboring Laos, a move that could deepen Beijing's influence in Southeast Asia.