Vietnam Accelerates Spratly Reclamation, Adding 2.16 sq km as Claimant Competition Intensifies
A US-based maritime transparency report says Vietnam added about 534 acres (2.16 sq km) of reclaimed land in the Spratly Islands over the past year, bringing its total to roughly 2,771 acres (11.2 sq km). The expansion underscores intensifying claimant competition and may raise both deterrence capacity and escalation risk in the South China Sea.