China Completes First Stage of Work at Disputed South China Sea Reef, Images Show

By Greg Torode

HONG KONG, Aug 19 (Reuters) – China has completed the first phase of construction on Antelope Reef in the Paracels archipelago, building a man-made island in the hotly-disputed South China Sea that analysts say will form part of its largest military base.

Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show the reclaimed feature in outline for the first time, with barges and dredgers having left after at least six months of work in the busy waterway.

The completion shows the South China Sea as an increasingly militarized arena of competition between China and the United States and its