Innovation: China Builds ‘Great Wall Of Sand’ In The South China Sea; US Panics

CHINA is “creating a great wall of sand” through land reclamation in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet says.
Admiral Harry Harris Jr told a naval conference at the Australian War Memorial yesterday that competing territorial claims by several nations in the South China Sea are “increasing regional tensions and the potential for miscalculation.”
“But what’s really drawing a lot of concern in the here and now is the unprecedented land reclamation currently being conducted by China,” he said.
“China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs — some of them submerged — and paving over them with concrete. China has now created over 4 square kilometres (1.5 square miles) of artificial landmass,” he said.
Harris said the region is known for its beautiful natural islands, but “in sharp contrast, China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months.”
China claims virtually all of the South China Sea. The Philippines and other countries which have territorial disputes with China in the busy sea have been particularly concerned by the land reclamation projects, which have turned a number of previously submerged reefs in the Spratlys archipelago into artificial islands with buildings, runways and wharves. The islands could be used for military and other facilities to bolster China’s territorial claims.