CCP’s South China Sea Military Bases Are Not As Scary As They Look

Over the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has militarized 20 reef islands in the disputed Paracel Islands and 7 reef islands in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea(SCS), turning them into artificial islands and building runways, naval ports, hangars, barracks, radars, communication networks, naval guns, anti-ship missiles and other military infrastructure in a vain attempt to control the entire SCS and disrupt freedom of navigation, causing grave concern among neighboring countries. However, on December 1st, an analytical article published argued that these CCP military bases are actually not as scary as they look.

These artificial islands built by the CCP in the SCS are bound to be limited by the stability of the terrain due to their hasty construction and the lack of proper structural feasibility and environmental impact assessment before construction. Moreover, due to the severely corrosive nature of the water and air, the lifespan of the CCP’s concrete structures on these islands is estimated to be less than 25 years.

Another problem is that these artificial islands are simply uninhabitable. Despite the size and facilities of the CCP’s military installations, the population is small. The shortage of freshwater resources is a clear obstacle.