Great wall of sand
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 What’s behind Beijing’s drive to control the South China Sea? (text) by Howard W. French in The Guardian, July 2015 |
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 Is China building on disputed Spratly Islands reefs? BBC News (2014) |
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Confronting China: US Navy Flies Over Disputed Islands in South China Sea AiirSource Military Videos (2015) |
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Why China is building islands in the South China Sea Vox (2017) |
"Great wall of sand" is a name first used in March 2015 by US Admiral Harry Harris, (commander of the Pacific Fleet), to describe a series of uniquely large-scale land reclamation projects by the PRC in Spratly islands area of the South China Sea in the period late 2013 to late 2016.
In late 2013 the People's Republic of China (PRC) embarked on large scale reclamations at seven locations – in order to strengthen territorial claims to the region demarcated by the "nine-dash line".
The artificial islands were created by dredging sand onto coral reefs which were then concreted to make permanent structures. By the time of the 2015 Shangri-La Dialogue, over 810 hectares (2,000 acres) of new land had been created. By December 2016 it had reached 3,200 acres and "'significant' weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems" had been installed.
The PRC states that the construction is for "improving the working and living conditions of people stationed on these islands" and that, "China is aiming to provide shelter, aid in navigation, weather forecasts and fishery assistance to ships of various countries passing through the sea."
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative's "Island tracker" has listed the following locations as the sites of the island reclamation activities:
Total reclaimed area by PRC on 7 reefs: approx. 13.5 square kilometres (5.2 sq mi)
The PRC used hundreds of dredges and barges including a giant self-propelled dredger, the Tian Jing Hao. Built in 2009 in China, the vessel, Tian Jing Hao, is a 127m-long seagoing cutter suction dredger designed by German engineering company Vosta LMG; (Lübecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft ()). At 6,017 gross tonnes, with a dredging capacity of 4500m3/h, it is credited as being the largest of its type in Asia. It has been operating on Cuarteron Reef, the Gaven Reefs, and at Fiery Cross Reef.
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Wikipedia