China builds runway on Antelope Reef, satellite images show

October 2, 2026 at 10:57 AM2 min

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Chinese construction of a runway on Antelope Reef in the Paracels archipelago is well underway, with satellite images showing grading work, gravel piles, and compaction cranes. Analysts estimate the runway could be completed by mid-2027, strengthening Beijing's military control over the disputed South China Sea. The images, taken September 25 by Vantor, also show a fully loaded gravel barge heading to a newly built wharf.

Key Facts

Satellite images from September 25 show grading work, piles of gravel and concrete, and compaction cranes on Antelope Reef.
Analysts estimate the runway could be completed by mid-2027, with a first landing possibly earlier.
A completed base at Antelope would be China's most significant military expansion in the South China Sea in a decade.
China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The entire Paracels archipelago is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Construction Progress

Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show grading work, piles of gravel and concrete, and compaction cranes in operation to build a full-scale runway. The images, taken on September 25 by commercial satellite imagery provider Vantor, also show a fully loaded gravel barge heading to a newly built wharf. Vantor imagery analysts and open-source intelligence tracker Damien Symon, who first highlighted dredging at the reef in early January, described the cranes as ones used to compact reclaimed or loose earth into foundations before paving. Ben Lewis, founder of the open-source data platform PLATracker, said he expects the runway paved in the first half of 2027 and a first landing by mid-2027, possibly earlier.

Strategic Implications

A completed base at Antelope would be China's most significant military expansion in the South China Sea in a decade, extending the reach of Chinese naval ships and military aircraft. In the northern part of the South China Sea, a future Antelope base would help extend deployments of a wide range of Chinese naval ships and military aircraft and help protect the approaches to Hainan Island, where China keeps its nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines. Reuters reported in late August that new installations have been sighted on a smaller islet near Antelope, but analysts have yet to gauge definitively the likely function of the three-pronged construction on Yagong Island. The entire Paracels is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China drove out the forces of then-South Vietnam from bases in the Paracels in a brief battle in 1974 and has occupied them ever since over Hanoi's objections.