China Built a $50 Billion Military Stronghold in the South China Sea

Hainan, a palm-fringed island known as China’s Hawaii, sits in the warm tropical waters of the South China Sea east of Vietnam.

It’s a popular tourist destination with soft-sand beaches, quaint mountain villages and fancy seaside resorts.

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In the past decade, this island roughly the size of Taiwan has become home to China’s most concentrated buildup of modern military power and the launching point for its aggressive forays into the contested waters of the South China Sea.

Welcome to Hainan.

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The Hainan air bases provide cover for China’s fleet of ships, said Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former Navy submarine warfare officer. They are part of what is known as a layered military posture: While the PLA navy roams the South China Sea, submarines can interdict enemy forces and conduct reconnaissance ahead of the fleet. Fighter jets provide air support and ward off advance threats, while missiles from the Rocket Force provide long-range cover.

“It is a comprehensive set of infrastructure that covers every domain of conflict on, over and under the South China Sea,” Shugart said. “And all this will be very hard to neutralize, especially during a major conflict over the Taiwan Strait.”

Read the full article and more on The Washington Post.