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China is building an island in the South China Sea that could accommodate the country's first airstrip in bitterly contested waters, according to satellite images analysed by IO. Jane's Defence weekly Reclamation and Fiery Cross Reef on the western edge of the disputed Spratly Islands is creating a landmass that is more than 3000 metres or two miles long on between 200 to 300 metres 652 980 feet wide large enough to construct a runway and apron, the publication said. The South China Sea is the subject of numerous rival, often messy territorial claims, with China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam disputing sovereignty off several island chains and nearby waters. The area is in dispute include fertile fishing grounds on potentially rich reserves of undersea natural resources. Jane's said that Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan had built airfields on briefs and islands in the contested waters. The work it fiery cross This brings parity but is likely to cause alarm among the other claimants, the report said. Given its massive military advantage over the other claimants in terms of quality and quantity of material, this facility appears purpose built to coerce other claimants into relinquishing their claims and possessions, or at least provide China with a much stronger negotiating position if talks over the dispute were ever held. The report said that dredges were creating a harbour large enough to receive tankers and warships.