Vietnam Builds Islands at Record Pace in South China Sea as Tensions With China Intensify

Vietnam is building artificial islands at a record pace in the South China Sea as tensions with the Chinese communist regime increase in the disputed waters, according to a U.S. think tank. Vietnam has built 692 new acres of islands through dredging and landfill since November 2023, the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, based in Washington, D.C. said in a report. The new land amounts to almost as much as in the previous two years combined – 404 acres created in the first 11 months of 2023 and 347 acres in 2022, said the June 7 report. China has been building islands in the South China Sea since 2013 in waters where it claims sovereignty, including areas where Vietnam has been building islands in recent years....