A Reuters exclusive story today is showing a reef that Vietnam has decided to dredge. The goal, of course is to make it bigger and put people and equipment on it. There is a nice picture with the article that shows a spot that is probably not habitable unless you bring your own food, water and portable toilets. It is sparse.
The other problem for them is China which claims almost everything in that part of the world, having made the world's largest land grab in the South China Sea. They don't actually own this property anymore than Vietnam does - they just claim it. So, now we come down to which state is going to be able to enforce their claim. The excitement is already building.
Vietnam has clashed with China several times and my bet is on them. It one thing to claim the sea for fishing and have boats clash with each other over that, but quite another to have a real stake in the ground and put substance to it. The Chinese have a fear that kind of idea might catch on and will try to put an end to it. It is going to make for some real drama at a time when the news chains are pretty slow.
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