Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Chinese Construction on Triton
Island
August 19, 2023

The military facility on Woody Island in Paracel Islands has been fully equipped.
Why does China need an extra short runway in Triton?
ANSWER: Analysts are in almost unanimous agreement that satellite imagery of
Chinese construction on Triton Island taken on 10 August is insufficient to make a
definite determination of its purpose at this stage.
Satellite imagery shows what appears to be an airstrip 610 metres long by 14 metres
wide. Given the size of Triton, this air strip could be extended to a maximum of 945
metres in length. Satellite imagery also revealed a new large work area and a cement
plant. At present, satellite imagery has not detected the construction of other support
structures that would confirm that a runway is being built.
There is consensus among analysts that if this is a short runway it could not support
Chinese military jet aircraft such as those based on Woody Island but could support
fixed wing light aircraft, turboprops, drones and helicopters. Triton Island already
houses a newly built helipad, two radomes, and a small harbour.
Analysts are in consensus that it is still too early to tell what China’s intentions are.
Vietnamese media reported that Pham Thu Hang, a spokesperson for Vietnam’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted on 17 August that “Vietnamese authorities Are
verifying reports on China’s fortification efforts on the Triton Island...”
On 17 August, Washington time, Mr. Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the U.S.
Department of State, was asked by a journalist at a press briefing “Do you have
anything on reports by the Associated Press that China appears to be constructing an
airstrip on a disputed South China Sea island that is also claimed by Vietnam and
Taiwan, the Triton Island, according to satellite photos? Does that conflict with the
pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific?”
Mr. Patel did not answer the question directly or refer to Triton Island specifically.
Patel replied:
So freedom of the seas and adherence to international law in the South China Sea are vital
interests for the international – entire international community. Our view is that the PRC’s
reclamation and militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, its willingness
to use coercion and intimidation, along with other provocative actions undertaken to
enforce its expansion in unlawful – in the South China Sea, these kinds of activities
 2

undermine the peace and security of the region. And Beijing has offered no coherent legal
basis for its expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. And in the name of its – of
enforcing its expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, the PRC is
interfering with the navigational rights and freedoms that accrue to all states.
Analysts also point to Triton Island’s location on the western fringes of the Paracel
Islands, half way between China’s Hainan Island and Vietnam. This would seem to
imply that China might be enhancing its maritime surveillance and search and rescue
capabilities.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Chinese Construction on Triton Island,” Thayer

Consultancy Background Brief, August 19, 2023. All background briefs are posted on
Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the mailing list type,
UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.
Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.