CHINA will develop a new island city in the disputed South China Sea despite Donald Trump’s administration branding it “illegal”.

The Beijing regime will plough ahead with turning sites near the city of Sansha into a “national key strategic service and logistics base”, the South China Morning Post reports. US experts fear the move could flare up tensions as China expands its military influence in the South China Sea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit out at Beijing’s ”illegal island-building in international waterways” over the development at Woody Island, Tree and Drummond.

Jeffrey Engstrom, a senior policy analyst with US think tank Rand Corp, told Newsweek: “It seems that the proposed infrastructure on and near Woody Island is still in early stages of planning.

“However, if built, additional basing infrastructure and logistics nodes allow China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, coast guard and the maritime militia to further expand presence and operational tempo in the South China Sea (SCS).

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1102536/south-china-sea-latest-donald-trump-island-city-illegal