Vietnam is rapidly creating artificial land in the disputed South China Sea, breaking its own record for land reclamation in the shadows of Chinese aggression. Hanoi is quietly conducting dredging operations to expand and build military infrastructure on-top of atolls in the Spratly group of islands, where China has also created land.
WSJ explains why Hanoi is fortifying while keeping close diplomatic ties with both the U.S. and Beijing.
Chapters:
0:00 Vietnam’s activity in the South China Sea
0:23 Location of islands and strategic importance
1:40 Overlapping claims
2:33 China island build
3:44 Military prep
5:24 China’s response
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