The latest huge land mass is 1.5 square miles (four square kilometres) in size and was created by dumping sand on live coral reefs, possibly damaging local ecosystems.
But this is just one of several artificial islands China has been creating in the region - and the exact purpose of them is unknown.
The large expanses of sand and concrete - the latest being Johnson Reef - are being built among the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
China is creating the area by using dredging vessels to dig up sediment from the sea, and then dumping it on subermeged coral reefs to make islands, Ethan Rosen - a geopolitical researcher in China - explained.
And experts have told MailOnline that the activities could be hugely damaging to local ecosystems.
China has supposedly been carrying out the land reclamation in order to build airstrips and other structures in the region.
Five islands in total have been built in this way, and two more are in development.'
'US Wary of Possible China Island Fortresses
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the U.S. was concerned by China's land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea and by the possibility that construction there has a military dimension.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Wednesday, Mr. Carter said the U.S. prioritizes stability in the Asia-Pacific and wants to ensure "no changes in the status quo are made coercively and that territorial disputes, which are long-standing, are not militarized."
China has embarked on a dramatic expansion of construction of artificial islands on disputed South China Sea reefs, which defense experts say could form a network of island fortresses to help China control most of the South China Sea. Chinese officials have defended the construction work as necessary and lawful.'
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-wary-of-chinese-building-in-south-china-sea-1428474870
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