August 20, 2026

Recent Western media reports on China's infrastructure work at Lingyang reef in the Xisha Islands have revived the familiar narrative of "militarization" and a so-called "China threat" in the South China Sea.

This framing is neither new nor surprising; it reflects a persistent habit of viewing every Chinese action in the region through a purely military-security lens. A clear-eyed look at the facts, however, tells a very different story.

Why do certain voices in the United States and the West insist on treating every Chinese move in the South China Sea as a security challenge? The basic historical and geographic realities are straightforward. Over the past several decades, China has neither initiated a war nor waged a proxy conflict. In the Nansha Islands alone, neighboring countries have occupied more than forty of China's islands and reefs.

China remains the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that has yet to achieve complete national reunification. Among the world's major maritime powers, China stands out as a geographically disadvantaged maritime state due to its unique geographic constraints.

These are basic facts. Yet some in the West choose to overlook them, preferring to amplify claims of Chinese militarization and threat. Such attitudes stem from deep-rooted prejudice, genuine unfamiliarity and misunderstanding of China, and, in some cases, deliberate and malicious smears driven by predetermined positions.

Prejudice and misunderstanding can be addressed through greater exchange, communication and dialogue — areas where China has always remained open and inclusive. Malicious attacks and distortions, however, must be firmly rebutted; China is under no illusions on that score.

The ongoing construction at Lingyang reef in Sansha is, at its core, infrastructure improvement on Chinese territory. It is fundamentally no different from the bridge-building, road-laying and housing projects carried out in any other Chinese city or county. There is no cause for alarm or exaggeration.

Those who find China's infrastructure capabilities astonishing would do well to visit places like Chongqing or Guizhou and see firsthand the country's ability to carve roads through mountains and span rivers with bridges. The work on China's islands and reefs embodies the same spirit, reflecting the wisdom, diligence and unity of the Chinese people. These modern projects also continue a long historical tradition.

Two of China's most celebrated ancient engineering achievements — the Great Wall and the Dujiangyan irrigation system — illustrate this point: one was defensive, the other focused on people's livelihoods. Both reflect a national character that values peace and puts people first. The same character is evident in today's infrastructure endeavors.

Chinese fishermen operating in the South China Sea have long endured extremely harsh conditions. Far from the mainland, they often spend weeks under intense heat, sudden storms and rough seas, with few safe places to rest or repair their vessels. Improving infrastructure at Lingyang reef directly supports their work and daily lives. This is a concrete expression of China's people-centered development philosophy. China now has the capacity and resources to undertake such construction, and doing so is both practical and responsible — a realistic response to the long-standing needs of fishermen who have depended on these waters for centuries.

Enhanced infrastructure at Lingyang reef will also significantly strengthen China's ability to provide international public goods, including more accurate weather forecasting, faster and more efficient emergency rescue operations, and greater security for the busy shipping lanes that pass through the South China Sea. It will also provide a solid material foundation for the scientific and rational development of marine resources and for deeper marine scientific research in the region.

Only by steadily improving the capacity to provide public goods can China and other South China Sea littoral states build a foundation for practical cooperation in low-sensitivity areas. Successful cooperative practices can then serve as models, creating favorable conditions for deeper maritime governance cooperation in the future.

Territorial security, the safety of people's lives, and the security of production and livelihood activities are all integral components of national security. In the South China Sea, China faces various traditional security threats. Warships and military aircraft from the United States and other Western countries frequently conduct shows of force, military exercises, and close-in approaches near Chinese islands and reefs. Some other parties to the South China Sea disputes have also reinforced military deployments directed against China on the features they occupy.

In response to these legitimate security needs, deploying necessary military equipment on China's own territory is entirely justified and falls squarely within China's sovereign rights. To be clear, infrastructure development and necessary self-defense are two separate issues: the former is about improving lives, while the latter is about responding to external threats. Neither should be mislabeled as "militarization."

The islands and reefs of the South China Sea, including Lingyang reef, are China's inherent territory. Whatever construction takes place, China will never pursue development at the expense of the environment or its neighbors. The principle that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has long been deeply rooted in Chinese practice. Between 2016 and 2021, Chinese research institutions planted approximately 30,000 coral colonies in the Xisha Islands, expanding the restored area to nearly five hectares and raising the survival rate from 30 percent to over 85 percent.

In 2023, Sansha City launched a large-scale coral planting program that first cultivates coral fragments under controlled conditions before transplanting them once they are robust; to date, some 240,000 coral seedlings have been planted. At a time when global marine ecosystems face severe challenges, Sansha's efforts demonstrate not only a commitment to the future of one sea area but also a nation's wisdom in pursuing development while safeguarding nature and seeking sustainability through protection.

In the end, the latest round of external criticism and distortion will neither alter the facts on the ground nor rewrite China's legitimate rights. Those who habitually view China's every action through a military prism may wish to reflect on their own double standards.

The South China Sea needs calm, constructive engagement — not recycled alarmism dressed up as analysis.

The author is the director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, National Institute for South China Sea Studies.

Link：https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202608/20/WS6a86f00fa3106bc57421c9c1.html