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China Begins building on Bombay Reef in SCS
News
- According to recent satellite images reviewed by a U.S. think tank, China has installed a new platform on Bombay Reef of the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea
Important facts
- Bombay Reef: Bombay reef is an atoll of the Paracel Islands, South China Sea.
- Paracel Islands:
The Paracel Islands are an archipelago in the South China Sea
It is controlled by the People’s Republic of China, and also claimed by Taiwan (Republic of China) and Vietnam.
- Strategic significance of Bombay Reef: The reef is directly adjacent to the major shipping lanes that run between the Paracels and the Spratly Islands to the south. This makes it an attractive location for a sensor array to extend Chinese radar or signals intelligence collection over that important sea lane