Beijing’s Strategic Island Build‑up Redefines South China Sea Geopolitics

Ten years after China dismissed the Hague Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling on its South China Sea claims, competing nations are still vying for dominance. In the third installment of our anniversary series, journalist Laura Zhou examines why the divide between international law and geopolitical realities on the water has never been wider.

On a sweltering summer morning, over a hundred Chinese tourists arrived at Tree Island, part of the disputed Paracel Islands.

The visitors were welcomed by clear skies and turquoise waters, as well as extensive modern infrastructure including landscaped gardens, two‑story residential buildings, and climate‑controlled government offices that manage the island and surrounding areas.

Well‑paved, clean roads were lined with electric tour buggies that whisked visitors around the island on short, few‑minute excursions.

Amenities also included supermarkets, a helicopter pad, a wastewater treatment plant, power generators, and a prison, on an island known as Zhaoshu in Chinese and Dao Cay in Vietnamese.

“The island is 90 % covered in vegetation,” an island guide told the tourists.

Among the tourists were schoolchildren who had just begun their summer break and a retired teacher traveling solo.

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