Antelope Reef

Satellite image of Antelope Reef
The Paracel Islands; Antelope Reef is to the left center.

Antelope Reef (Chinese name: Lingyang Jiao (羚羊礁); Vietnamese name: Đá Hải Sâm) is a small reef in the South China Sea contested by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. It is part of the Crescent archipelago in the southwestern portion of the Paracel islands and is located approximately 162 nautical miles (300 km) from Sanya Port in China's Hainan province and 216 nautical miles (400 km) from Da Nang, Vietnam. It is named after the Antelope, a ship of the Bombay Marine (the navy of the East India Company), which surveyed the reef in 1808 under the command of Daniel Ross.

China had as of April 2026 reclaimed 1,490 acres (600 ha) and greatly expanded its military assets there, part of its claim on much of the South China Sea (vis. nine-dash line). The suddenness and scale of the illegal seizure and buildup, particularly after a pause of nearly a decade in such military engineering projects, surprised Western analysts.

References

  1. 1 2 "Antelope Reef Could Now Be the Largest Island in the South China Sea". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. CSIS. 19 March 2026.
  2. ↑ Low, Charles Rathbone, ed. (2 October 2012). The History of the Indian Navy (1613–1863). Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. pp. 389–409. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139177191.013 – via Cambridge University Press.
  3. ↑ "南海为何成中美博弈的主战场 岛礁建设改变战略格局_军事频道_中华网". military.china.com.
  4. ↑ Honrada, Gabriel (13 January 2026). "China's Antelope Reef dredge deepens South China Sea tensions".
  5. ↑ Brown, Austin Ramzy and Emma (14 July 2025). "How China's Military Is Flexing Its Power in the Pacific". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ Kong, Gabriele Steinhauser in Manila and Austin Ramzy in Hong (28 April 2025). "China, Philippines Make Rival Claims in Disputed South China Sea". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ "This is Antelope Reef, China's new military outpost in the South China Sea". telegraph.co.uk. 9 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "China Seizes an Island While the World Is Watching Iran". forbes.com. 11 April 2026. Archived from the original on 13 April 2026.
  9. ↑ Cherney, Mike (2 April 2026). "China Is Building Another Massive Base in the South China Sea". The Wall Street Journal.
  10. ↑ Reuters (2 October 2026). "Chinese work gathering pace on Antelope Reef in South China Sea, latest satellite images show". Reuters. Retrieved 8 October 2026. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)

16°27′N 111°35′E / 16.45°N 111.58°E / 16.45; 111.58