By: Yuxi Nan

In the past three years, Vietnam has been increasing the number of artificial islands built in the South China Sea, worrying experts on Southeast Asian foreign policy as this might cause heightened tensions between Vietnam and China.

Since 2013, China has built seven artificial islands in the mostly vacant Spratly Islands, to strengthen China’s hold on the South China Sea waters. China also stocked three of the islands with aircraft hangars, missiles, and other deadly military hardware. “In my opinion, all sides need to strive to preserve the status quo in the sea,” Song Phan, an expert on South China based in Sydney, told the Eurasia Review.

However, China is against Vietnam’s plan to build more islands in the area. And some people also think that Vietnam should react fiercely to China’s efforts to take control of the South China Sea. Jay Tarriela, a Coast Guard spokesman from Vietnam, has told reporters that Vietnam prefers to focus on its own affairs, also adding that, “Unlike China, Tarriela said, Vietnam doesn’t harass ‘our fishermen.’And they don’t illegally send coast guard ships into waters around “our occupied maritime features.”

It is in the interest of both Vietnam and China, as well as the other countries around them, to find a way to solve disputes over territory peacefully. Hopefully negotiations can be done without harming any people or starting a war between the countries.

Image Credit by Hugo Heimendinger