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China is reportedly constructing an airstrip on Triton Island, a disputed South China Sea island also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show the construction work on Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel group of islands. The construction on Triton Island resembles the development of seven man-made islands in the Spratly group to the east. However, the scale of construction on Triton Island appears to be more modest.

China claims the entire South China Sea as its own, rejecting the claims of other countries and defying an international ruling declaring its assertion invalid. Earlier satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by AP reveal the construction of the airstrip, which became visible in early August. The current layout of the runway suggests it would be long enough to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers. The photos also show numerous vehicle tracks across the island, as well as containers and construction equipment.

Triton Island is a major island in the Paracel group, located roughly equidistant from the coast of Vietnam and China’s island province of Hainan. The United States does not take a position on sovereignty claims but regularly conducts “freedom of navigation operations” near the Chinese-held islands. Triton Island was the focus of one of these missions in 2018.

China has had a small harbor, buildings, a helipad, and radar arrays on Triton Island for several years. Two large fields on the island feature the Chinese flag and the hammer and sickle symbol of the ruling Communist Party. China has not provided detailed information about its island construction work but claims it is aimed at enhancing global navigation safety. China denies allegations of militarizing the South China Sea, emphasizing its right to do as it wishes in its sovereign territory.

In 1974, China seized full control of the Paracel Islands from Vietnam in a brief naval conflict.

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