Subi Reef
| Disputed island Other names: Zhubi Reef Chinese: 渚碧礁; pinyin: Zhǔbì Jiāo Tagalog: Zamora Vietnamese: đá Xu Bi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Landsat 7 Image (April 2000) | |
| Geography | |
  | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 10°54′48″N 114°03′43″E / 10.9133°N 114.062°ECoordinates: 10°54′48″N 114°03′43″E / 10.9133°N 114.062°E |
| Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
| Administered by | |
| People's Republic of China | |
| Claimed by | |
| People's Republic of China | |
| Philippines | |
| Republic of China (Taiwan) | |
| Vietnam | |
Subi Reef, also known as Zhubi Reef (Chinese: 渚碧礁; pinyin: Zhǔbì Jiāo; Tagalog: Zamora; Vietnamese: đá Xu Bi) is a reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea located 26 km (16 mi) southwest of Philippine-occupied Thitu Island. It is occupied by the PRC, and claimed by ROC, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It currently falls under the jurisdiction of Nansha islands, Sansha city, Hainan province, China.
Topography and features
The atoll measures 5.7 km along its longer southwest-northeast axis, and is up to 3.5 km wide. Its total area including the lagoon and rim of the reef measures 16 km², and the lagoon is up to 22 meters deep.[1]
Naturally above water only at low tide, it surrounds a huge lagoon. The People's Republic of China has constructed a 4-story building, a weather observation station with doppler weather radar, wharfs, and a helipad in the area. A buoyed channel guides ships to the inner lagoon which is 3.7 kilometers in diameter.[2][3][4][5]
Population
There are 200 Chinese troops on the reef.[6]
Territorial disputes
The reef is occupied and controlled by China (PRC)[6] and claimed by Taiwan (ROC), the Philippines, and Vietnam. In July 2012, a large fleet of 30 Chinese fishing vessels arrived at the reef from Hainan.[7][8]
In April 2015, a Philippine Navy aircraft patrolling near the reef received "aggressive action" from a Chinese ship.[9] Also in 2015, the USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of the reef, prompting the Chinese Foreign Ministry to call the action a "provocation" and they vowed to keep building up in the South China Sea. As per the US Navy, this was a routine "freedom of navigation" exercise. Similar exercises are performed routinely about 12-28 times per year.[10][11]
During 2014, the Chinese started reclaiming land at Subi Reef, and by the end of 2015 had developed it into an island of 3.95 square kilometres (1.53 sq mi), with a military base, a large harbour, and an airstrip of about 3,000 metres.[12][13] In April 2016 a new lighthouse 55 metres high commenced operations.[14]
In November 2015, two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers flew in airspace near the area. They were contacted by Chinese ground control, but were allowed to continue their mission undeterred.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ Atoll Area, Depth and Rainfall: Zhubi
- ↑ Anda, Redempto (17 July 2012). "Government told of China buildup 2 months ago". Philippine Inquirer. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ Jingya, Mei (19 July 2012). "China installed radar on Zhubi Reef：Philippine media". Sina English News. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ "Digital Gazetteer of the Spratly Islands". www.southchinasea.org. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- ↑ http://news.qq.com/a/20120725/000453.htm Chinese language page with a collection of 10 photos of the reef and Thitu (Pagasa) Island dated 25 July 2012. Pictures 1,3,4&6 show the buildings on the reef; 5 shows a lighthouse, 7-10 show Pagasa.
- 1 2 DJ Sta. Ana (June 13, 2014). "China reclaiming land in 5 reefs?". www.abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
- ↑ Cunfu, Wang (18 July 2012). "Fishing vessels arrive at Zhubi Reef of south China Sea". Xinhua. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ "Fishing vessels arrive at Zhubi Reef of south China Sea". Global Times China. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ "Philippine military says Chinese ship took aggressive action". Gulf News (United Arab Emeritus). Associated Press. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ↑ Perlez, Jane (2015-10-27). "Beijing Calls U.S. Warship’s Route in South China Sea a ‘Provocation’". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ↑ "A U.S. Naval Signal in the South China Sea". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ↑ Gregory Poling. "Potential New Runway Presents New Headaches". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- ↑ "Subi reef tracker". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ↑ Prashanth Parameswaran (2016-04-06). "China Unveils New South China Sea Lighthouse on Subi Reef". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ↑ http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-bombers-flew-near-chinese-built-island-in-south-china-sea-pentagon/ar-BBmWhOg?li=AAa0dzB
External links
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