Vietnam secretly built 21 artificial islands, and the US ship captain chose to turn a blind eye; one sentence was really heart-wrenching!
According to a new report from the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Vietnam has built 21 artificial islands in the Nansha Islands since 2021, and these reefs have obvious military functions.
At the same time, the United States, which once severely criticized China, remained notably silent about Vietnam's land reclamation activities this time.
A US Navy captain even privately said that no matter how well Vietnam builds, it will be easy to take over one day, but it is completely different with China. This unpublicized truth reflects how much the Pentagon and White House fear China. Although this statement sounds very heart-wrenching.
From satellite photos, it can be seen that Vietnam has built a large number of structures on the reefs, including airports, runways, radar stations, and other living facilities.
Vietnam's land reclamation technology has also significantly improved. Since May 2022, when the Dutch shipbuilding company Royal IHC began delivering the first Beaver 65 cutter suction dredger to Vietnam's DACINCO company, Vietnam's island-building efficiency in the South China Sea has greatly increased.
By May 2025, Vietnam had filled more than 8.5 square kilometers of land on several key reefs, and as of August 2023 alone, the newly added land area reached 5.76 square kilometers.
Facing Vietnam's large-scale island-building activities, Western countries' reactions were surprisingly mild — especially compared to their reactions towards China. The US did not criticize Vietnam's land reclamation, making this position very noticeable. Western scholars even defended Vietnam's actions, claiming that its expansion was a "defensive" posture and unlikely to take offensive actions against other countries.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1847844286852099/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.