Commercial satellite photographs taken on August 17 show new construction on Yagong Island in the Paracels, prompting analyst assessments that China is consolidating control over disputed South China Sea features, according to the source report and imaging firm Vantor.
What the new images show
Vantor’s imagery indicates substantial progress since activity first appeared in March–April, per the source. The company stated: “Several structures on Yagong Reef resemble other military radar/early warning facilities seen elsewhere in the South China Sea and are likely associated with the ultimate military functions of nearby Antelope Reef.”
Antelope Reef’s expansion and potential role
Antelope Reef—claimed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan—was the focus of a massive dredging and landfill operation China launched in October 2025, with the apparent purpose of turning it from one of China’s smallest outposts into a major base, the source report says.
The same report claims Antelope Reef is now roughly four miles long and nearly 1,500 acres—large enough, it asserts, to accommodate a 9,000-foot runway. It adds that the lagoon could become the area’s largest harbor and that the expanded feature is big enough to host surveillance installations, missile batteries, electronic warfare facilities, and an underground storage complex.
Yagong Island lies about 8.5 miles northeast of Antelope Reef. Though much smaller, Vantor’s photos show several buildings, and the site could be used as a platform for radar and other electronic systems to support Antelope Reef, according to the source and Vantor’s assessment.
Beijing’s line: ‘civilian’ development
The Chinese Defense Ministry did not respond to questions about Yagong Island, according to the source report. Chinese state media have broadly described development in the Paracels as for civilian, weather, and scientific purposes.
China’s state-run Global Times on Wednesday dismissed foreign media focus on Antelope Reef—referred to in China as Lingyang Jiao—as “hype” and “fearmongering,” per the source. The paper characterized buildings on Yagong Island as a “civilian facility” without offering evidence or details, the source report notes.
Ding Duo, research director at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that “some Western media outlets view China’s activities through the lens of a geopolitical and military rivalry” and reach “preconceived conclusions about so-called militarization,” according to the source. In the same coverage, Ding said it would be “entirely reasonable for China to deploy necessary defensive facilities to safeguard its own security,” asserting others have “no grounds for criticism,” the source reports.
