During a visit to New Delhi earlier this month, Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, exhorted India to increase its presence in the South China Sea where China is literally creating new geography by enlarging reefs into artificial islands.
He called China’s massive land reclamation “provocative” because it effectively changes “facts on the ground.” True, China is equipping these man-made “islands” with helipads, airstrips and docks capable of supporting troops. The speed has unnerved countries in the region as they watch submerged reefs transform under their very eyes.