“We have started the planning and development of Sansha, including basic infrastructure, at full speed,”
–Hainan Deputy Governor Tan Li – April 2013.

China established Sansha City in 2012 on Woody Island, named Yongxing Island by the Chinese government, in a bid to further establish its claim on the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea. Taiwan and Vietnam have both laid claim on the island too, but China keeps building more infrastructure to make its occupation irreversible. While China claims the work being done is purely developmental, and for civilian purposes, international observers have reported that there is a potential militarisation taking place at the same time. With satellite images of this past week revealing missile launchers and support vehicles stationed on the island, it seems that China is gearing itself to stave of all other claimants.