User:Shermaine Anacleto/sandbox

KAGITINGAN REEF (FIERY CROSS REEF)

Ø Fiery Cross Reef was initially occupied by mainland China in 1988 to construct weather stations for the UN. However, the specialists were unaware of the territorial disputes in the region. The island was initially less than 10,000 square meters but has since expanded to approximately 3 square kilometers.

Ø Fiery Cross Reef is the most isolated maritime feature occupied by Beijing in the Spratlys, and the work done away from easy surveillance has been the most extensive. The new facilities include a 3.1-kilometer airstrip that can accommodate any military aircraft, as well as port facilities under development that can dock military tankers.

Ø Kagitingan Reef, formerly a submerged maritime feature, is claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Since 2015, it has been reclaimed and transformed by China into a military base, complete with a 3-kilometer runway worthy of fighter jets, a harbor for naval vessels, missile systems, hangars, and a scientific research station.

Ø It is one of 7 reefs in the Spratly group of islands that China has reclaimed and militarized.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Ø The Fiery Cross atoll was named after the British ship Fiery Cross, which wrecked on it in 1860. Lieutenant J.W. Reed surveyed the atoll and reported it to be a large reef with the wrecks of Fiery Cross and Meerschaum visible. The government of China copied the English name and translated it to "Shizi huo jiao" in 1934. In 1947, it was renamed "Yongshu Reef" by the Chinese government.

REFERENCES

- https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/subi-reef-building-05102022104439.html

- Comparing Aerial and Satellite Images of China's Spratly Outposts | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (csis.org)