The photographs taken for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank on Sept. 8 show the construction of an airstrip on Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef), one of several artificial islands that China has created in the Spratly archipelago. The images show a rectangular area with a retaining wall, 3,000 meters long, matching similar work by China on Zamora Reef (Subi Reef), 26 kilometers southwest of Pag-Asa Island, and Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef), said Greg Poling, director of the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI). Security experts say the airstrip on Panganiban Reef will be long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft, giving Beijing greater reach into the heart of maritime Southeast Asia, where it has competing claims with the Philippines and several countries.

Aurelio, M. (2015, September 16). 3rd Sino airstrip rising on PH reef. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A19.