Vietnam took advantage of China’s distraction to advance in an area where the tension boils

There are several countries claiming small portions of territory in a highly disputed area. China does not seem concerned, but in the distance comes an alliance that can threaten dominion

Vietname is in a southern sea construction phase of islands that will probably soon surpass the area that China has complained in the strategic and contested Spratly islands, according to one of the Asian maritime transparency initiative.

Since early 2025, Hanoi has been dredging and increasing the surface area of ​​eight elements that controls the island chain in the fourth southeast of the Southern Sea of ​​China, AMTI reports, based on Maxa and Planet Labs satellite images.

The Spratly Islands Chain is made up of more than 100 small islands or reefs and is claimed entirely by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, with partial claims of the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, according to Cia World Factbook.

China’s claims have been news for over a decade, as Beijing has complained about land at various points, building landing clues and military facilities to solidify their positions. The construction of fortifications occurred despite leader Xi Jinping told the then US president Barack Obama in 2015 that he had no plans to do so.

Beijing claims as its sovereign territory almost all of the 1.2 million square kilometers of the Southern Sea of ​​China, through which trilions of eurions of world trade pass annually. It bases this claim on the so -called line of nine traces, which The Hague’s Permanent Arbitration Court has already decided not to have a legal basis.

Vietname’s claims have not been as explicit as those of China and their previous recovery efforts are less ambitious.

Some of the reefs where the construction of islands is now taking place at all steam have long been kept by small halls, including Alison Reef, Collins Reef, East Reef, Landsdowne Reef and Petley Reef, according to AMTI, which is a project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). New land is also being built in three places that were built in previous recovery rounds – Aboyna Cay, Grierson Reef and West Reef – according to the AMTI report.

“All 21 rocks occupied by Vietname and the low tide elevations on the Spratly islands have now been expanded to include artificial lands,” writes AMTI.

“In March 2025, Vietnam had created about 70% of the amount of artificial lands in Spratlys than China. The recovery of these eight new features practically ensures that Vietname will equal – and probably exceed – the scale of Beijing Islands construction,” reads the report.

According to AMTI, the 21 islands under Hanoi control compare to only seven under Beijing’s control.

However, in seven other islands controlled by Vietnamese, where recovery work are largely completed, or military structures have been being built, including ammunition deposits, according to the report.

Sovereignty highly contested in the Southern Sea of ​​China
The Southern Sea of ​​China, with 1.3 million square kilometers, and the islands in it are subject to a series of claims by the region’s governments. China claims almost all over the territory as its sovereign territory, within its “line of nine rays”, but others maintain claims based on their exclusive economic zones, extending to 200 nautical miles on their backs. Among the main points of dispute are the Paracel islands and the Spratly Islands, where China built military facilities on disputed islands

Tensions and confrontations

The new report arises in the context of an increase in tensions between China and the Philippines over the Southern Sea Territory of China.

Beijing and Manila’s competing claims have become increasingly controversial in recent years, including violent clashes between their coastal guards with water cannons and, in a case, with white weapons. This confrontation in Spratlys, near Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine Marines are parked on a rusty ship from World War II, left a Filipino crew member without a thumb.

Last month, northern Spratlys, near Scarborough Shoal, a Chinese Navy Fathercase collided with a China coastal ship when the two chased a ship from the Philippine Coast Guard in contested waters. The images showed great damage to the bow of the China Coast Guard.

According to analysts, the clashes between China and the Philippines may have provided Vietname an excellent coverage for their initiative to build the islands it controls.

“For now, much of China’s attention is directed to the Philippines and China prefers to maintain a stable front with each of the other Southeast Asian rivals in the Southern Sea of ​​China,” says Collin Koh, a researcher at the Singapore School of Studies S. Rajaratnam (RSIS).

Ray Powell, director of Sealight, a maritime transparency project at the Gordian Knot Center for Stanford University National Security innovation, echoes Koh’s comments.

“It seems that Beijing estimated that keeping the isolated philippines from other southern sea complainants is worth more at this time than to prevent the Vietname from obtaining substantial territorial gains,” Powell reinforces.

“Hanoi can have a debt of gratitude to Manila, since it is difficult to see how this could have happened if Beijing was not so concerned about the problem east,” Powell recalls, adding that “China has been remarkably silent about the Vietnam Islands building campaign.”

This was reflected in Beijing’s official reaction to the AMTI report.

“Spratly islands are inherent territory of China. China is firmly opposed to the construction activities of relevant countries and illegally occupied reefs. China will take the necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, at a regular press conference.

Vietnam and Philippines did not comment on AMTI’s report when asked by CNN.

In the past, the disagreements between China and Vietnam over the southern sea territory resulted in blood spill, including in 1974, when a Southern-Vietnamese ship was sunk and 53 South-Vietnamese soldiers were killed in a battle with Chinese forces over the Paracel islands in the northwest of the southern China Sea.

Since then, Beijing has kept a great advantage in the Southern Sea of ​​China and, according to Koh, it is possible that he does not consider too threatening Hanoi’s actions.

“China has a big difference in terms of mobile military means and coastal guard, which probably explains the fact that Beijing doesn’t feel alarmed enough to do something to lock Hanoi.”

But it warns that Beijing should not be overwhelmed this advantage, noting that Vietname and Philippines have better and better relationships.

“Vietname and Philippines have been striving to strengthen cooperation in maritime safety, as the recent bilateral coast guard exchanges and joint exercise demonstrates. This should be used to remember Beijing that Hanoi has Manila to exert influence,” Koh Complete.

CNN Yong Xiong contributed to this report