Construction of a runway at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands of the South China Sea is progressing rapidly. The runway could be completed by mid-2027, further strengthening China’s military control over the contested South China Sea.
Satellite imagery reveals ongoing work, including land leveling, stockpiles of stone and concrete, and cranes used for soil compaction. Military officials and security analysts believe this could become one of China’s most significant military bases in the region.
Images captured on September 25 by Vantor, a commercial satellite imagery provider, also show a barge laden with stone near a newly constructed jetty.
Once completed, the base at Antelope Reef could represent China’s most significant military expansion in the South China Sea in a decade, extending the operational reach of Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft. The South China Sea is seeing an increasing military presence due to the rivalry involving China, the United States, and its allies over Taiwan.
Ben Lewis, founder of the open-source data platform PLA Tracker, suggests that—drawing on the experience of the three-kilometer runway built at Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in 2015—the paving of the Antelope runway could be finished in the first half of 2027, with the first aircraft landing by the middle of that year.
However, Lewis noted that he has not yet observed any signs of excavation for potential ammunition or fuel storage facilities—infrastructure that would be essential for a base of this magnitude.
China’s Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. China has not acknowledged the construction of a new military base; state media has stated that the site at Antelope will host civilian activities such as weather forecasting, as well as marine and scientific research. Damien Symon, a satellite analyst and open-source intelligence observer, has also indicated that the cranes present there are being used either to retrieve materials or to compact loose soil to create a solid foundation. It was Symon who first highlighted the dredging activities at Antelope Reef in early January.
The establishment of a future base at Antelope, located in the northern part of the South China Sea, would expand the operational range for the deployment of various Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft. At the same time, it could play a role in safeguarding the approaches to Hainan Island, where China stations its nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines.
Reports from last August noted the appearance of new structures on a small island near Antelope. However, analysts have not yet been able to determine the potential purpose of the three-pronged construction work observed on Yagong Island.
