China expands Yagong Island facilities, bolstering military presence in the South China Sea

Recent commercial satellite photographs taken on August 17 by Vantor display significant building activity on Yagong Island, located about 8.5 miles northeast of Antelope Reef in the Paracels. The new structures appear similar to radar and early-warning sites seen elsewhere in the South China Sea, indicating they may support the massive Antelope Reef expansion that began with a large dredging operation in October 2025.

That expansion has turned the atoll into a roughly four-mile-long, 1,500-acre platform capable of accommodating a 9,000-foot runway, a major harbor, and potential missile and electronic-warfare installations. While the Chinese Defense Ministry did not respond, state outlets claim all work is for civilian uses such as weather forecasting and scientific research. One outlet labeled foreign media coverage as hype, yet research director Ding Duo of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies acknowledged the installations could be defensive, arguing other nations have no grounds for criticism. The development underscores Beijing’s continued effort to solidify its strategic foothold in the contested waters.