This is the write up that accompanied the video. What China did is nothing short of miracle . Never done before
A new hospital, three 3,000-meter-long airstrips, five lighthouses, 100% 4G telecommunication coverage, farms, desalination plants and solar power plants - China has invested tens of billions of yuan In recent years to extend its basic infrastructure on the distant islands in the Spratleys archipelago and consolidate its multiple positions in the South China Sea.
Since July, a class 2A hospital with more than 100 beds and an area of 16,000 m² is inaugurated on the "reef" of Fiery Cross, the 3rd largest island of Spratleys that spans 2, 8 km², largely due to backfilling.
Work began in November 2015 and was completed in just 8 months. A medical team of about fifty people ensures the proper functioning of the hospital. It has already welcomed more than 1,000 patients and has carried out a hundred operations so far.
In March, a Chinese naval patrol aircraft had to interrupt its current mission and land on Fiery Cross Island in an emergency to repatriate a soldier who had fallen very ill on a Chinese island.
The commissioning of this hospital will greatly alleviate the pressure in medical support in this remote region of the world - whether garrison soldiers based on the various islands controlled by China, or civilians who continue on-site work - where the nearest corner of the Chinese mainland is more than 1,000 kilometers away.
The interior of the establishment, rather well equipped with a structure of this size, is revealed in a CCTV report:
And there is no doubt that the presence of a medical infrastructure in this part of the South China Sea will give a significant tactical advantage to the Chinese army in times of war and conflict.
In addition to the hospital, five lighthouses were also inaugurated on 5 of the largest Chinese islets in the Spratleys - Subi, Mischief, Fiery Cross, Johnson South and Cuarteron. All of these islands have been artificially enlarged.
According to Chinese media, these lighthouses more than 50 meters high have a range of 20 nautical miles. They are all equipped with the AIS system to track the position of the ships that crisscross the area.
Alongside its maritime utilities, these lighthouses are also an important psychological symbol to remind passers-by of the permanent presence of the Chinese in this highly strategic maritime passage.
After medical care and aid to navigation, another much more vital element that is water demanded much more work from the Chinese. With more than 20,000 people, at the peak of the backfilling, spread over the various islets in the Spratleys, fresh water has always been a problem, due in part to the fact that practically no Chinese islands in the South China Sea Underground water source.
To remedy this situation, the Chinese have put in place several solutions. In addition to regular supplies from the mainland, rainwater harvesting and the recycling of used water are also the main sources for sanitary and construction needs.
Since 2013, the Chinese state has gradually put into operation desalination plants on all the islands, with capacity ranging from a few tons to a few thousand tons per day depending on the size of the block and the number inhabitants ".
We have already spoken, for example, of one of the desalination plants on Woody Island - the largest city and military base of the Paracels - in our "New Desalination Plant on Woody Island" case.
With freshwater pressure being greatly reduced, the Chinese now want to go further and are working hard to "recreate" a green ecosystem on its islands in the South China Sea, though originally desert.
On the "island" of Subi, for example, more than a million plants of various types, carefully selected by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, were transferred to the site to fix the sand and reduce its And on the other hand, provide food to the "local" and attract birds.
The objective is to create a suitable place for a sustainable settlement
CCTV's report shows that these islands, although partly artificially created, are perhaps the most ecological place in China - all potentially toxic emissions are placed under control and all waste is recycled to the maximum -
this proves that when Man can not do otherwise, ecology is no longer just a slogan but an obligation to live. It is therefore possible that this consciousness comes "naturally".
As for the long airstrips and coverage of the telecommunication network, we have already addressed these points a few months ago in our file "China tests 2 aerodromes in the South China Sea" and "The Chinese 4G network covers the islands Spratleys ".
With these works that can be considered "pharaonic", the Chinese are imposing their will in a small fire in this part of the South China Sea, without even needing to militarily attack the islands already Controlled by neighboring countries.
In the Spratleys archipelago, Vietnam and Malaysia are the two countries that control the most reefs, but those recovered by the Chinese nearly 40 years ago are geologically and geographically the most interesting. The orientation and composition of Chinese atolls have greater potential for future development.
It should be noted that this very progressive but above all very costly method applied by the Chinese in the South China Sea will still have a lasting and destructive effect for the other neighboring countries because it is not only difficult to duplicate but also difficult To counter on the duration, less to rely very early on military operations which, unfortunately, will have an uncontrollable and unbearable consequence.
And, paradoxically, this method is still more "constructive" than sending a few ships to defend a "freedom of navigation" that has never been violated by any of the countries concerned.
When work on the islets of the Spratleys is completed, it is more than probable that the Chinese will do the same on the Scarborough reef, which is less than 300 kilometers from the Philippine coasts, and especially from the old naval base Of Subic Bay, which was, no less and less, the largest military installation overseas of the armed forces of the United States.
The case to follow.
Henri K.
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