China are building islands in the South China Sea. Chinese claims to the sea were rejected by the international courts. Under international law, a nation can claim exclusive rights of the seas 200 miles from their shore. However, China is claiming possession of seas thousands of miles from the mainland, and right off the coast of it's neighbours. So to solidify a legal basis for possession, China are building islands across the South China Sea in disputed territories, creating military bases across the region.
The aim of these man made islands are to create a basis for China's claims to the region, but also to bolster the Chinese Navy, who now have what are effectively unsinkable aircraft carriers across the ocean - which is now loosening the grip of the United States' naval domination of the area.
Sources
⅓ of maritime trade in the South China Sea
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Nine-dash line
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Spratly Islands
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Fishing Industry
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Strait of Malacca
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