U.S. Navy alarmed at Beijing’s ‘Great Wall of sand’ in South China Sea

China is building a “Great Wall of sand” through an unparalleled program of land reclamation in the South China Sea, raising concerns about the possibility of military confrontation in the disputed waters, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Satellite images show rapid construction on various coral reefs and rocks controlled by China within the disputed Spratly Islands, including harbors, piers, helipads, buildings and potentially at least one airstrip, experts say.
China has created 1.5 square miles of artificial landmass in recent months.
China is building artificial land by pumping sand onto live coral reefs — some of them submerged — and paving them over with concrete, in a region known for its beautiful natural islands, he said.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, but its claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister said that the country was merely carrying out “necessary construction on its own islands and reefs” and that it would continue to uphold freedom of navigation in the busy shipping waters of the South China Sea
washingtonpost