Vietnam has quietly extended a runway on Spratly Island to enable the deployment of maritime spy planes as Hanoi bolsters its defences against China in the disputed South China Sea.
Satellite images obtained by the Financial Times show Vietnam has expanded the runway from less than 2,500ft to about 3,300ft. The extension allows the deployment of maritime surveillance aircraft from Spratly for the first time, a move that comes as China builds up its own military facilities on and around nearby islands.
“This is a familiar pattern for Hanoi,” said Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, who supplied the images, taken over the past 22 months. “Vietnam continues to modernise its military and seek closer security ties with Japan, the US and India in preparation for future Chinese assertiveness in disputed waters.”