China is now capitalizing on its artificial island military bases in the West Philippine Sea to advance its massive maritime and territorial claims deeper into Indonesian, Malaysian and Brunei waters in the South China Sea, a US-based think tank reported. In its latest report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said that Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships monitored last month and early this month inside the exclusive economic zones of three Southeast Asian states were either from now heavily fortified Chinese bases at Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi) and Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reefs. “This activity matches a pattern seen in other recent CCG actions. The availability of China’s artificial island bases in the Spratlys for resupply and replenishment has enabled sustained weeks or even month-long deployments to the farthest reaches of the nine-dash line, something that was much more difficult for Chinese vessels in the past,” AMTI said.

Laude, J. (2020, February 1). China Coast Guard entering foreign waters via artificial islands. The Philippine Star, p. 2.