“Media reporting in early 2026 has highlighted new Chinese dredging and landfill activity at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands. This is the first significant artificial island-building Beijing has undertaken in the South China Sea since 2017. But the more consequential – and underreported – development may be the projected size of the artificial island. If construction proceeds at the pace seen in satellite imagery, Antelope Reef is set to become China’s largest feature in the Paracels and potentially in the entire South China Sea, equaling or even surpassing the size of Mischief Reef in the Spratlys.”
“Using recent commercial satellite imagery from Vantor, AMTI measured the estimated area of reclaimed land at Antelope Reef at roughly 1,490 acres. That figure is striking when compared with the scale of China’s features elsewhere in the Paracels. The area’s current largest feature is Woody Island which, despite hosting an air and naval base along with Sansha “city” which administers all of the South China Sea, measures only around 890 acres. Mischief, the largest Chinese outpost in the South China Sea, measures 1,504 acres of total land area—a minimal difference from Antelope’s current size.”
“Antelope Reef could now accommodate a 9,000-foot runway of the type China has already constructed at Woody Island, Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef. The northwestern side of the new landmass at Antelope, which extends over 11,000 feet, has been fashioned with a noticeably straight outer edge perfect for an airstrip.”
https://amti.csis.org/antelope-reef-could-now-be-the-largest-island-in-the-south-china-sea/