Cuarteron Reef

Disputed reef
Cuarteron Reef
Yongxing Huangyan Huayang Meiji Zhongjian Island Yongshu Zhubi Location of the major islands in Sansha Legend： Black：Yongxing Island (seat of Sansha) Red：Chigua Reef Green：Dongmen Reef Yellow：Huangyan Island Red：Huayang Reef Blue：Meiji Reef Blue：Nanxun Reef Black：Zhongjian Island Green：Yongshu Reef Purple：Zhubi Reef
Cuarteron Reef
Other names	華陽礁/华阳礁 Huáyáng Jiāo (Chinese) Bahura ng Calderon (Filipino) Calderon Reef (Philippine English) Đá Châu Viên (Vietnamese) Terumbu Kalderon (Malay)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	8°51′50″N 112°49′40″E / 8.86389°N 112.82778°E / 8.86389; 112.82778
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administration
China
Province	Hainan
City	Sansha
Claimed by
China
Philippines
Taiwan
Vietnam

Cuarteron Reef, also known as Calderon Reef (Mandarin Chinese: 華陽礁/华阳礁; pinyin: Huáyáng Jiāo; Tagalog: Bahura ng Calderon; Vietnamese: Đá Châu Viên; Malay: Terumbu Kalderon), is a reef at the east end of the London Reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. It is occupied and controlled by China (PRC) (as part of Sansha), and also claimed by the Philippines (as part of Kalayaan), by Vietnam (as part of Truong Sa) and Taiwan (ROC). The reef is 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) long and has an area of 8 square kilometres (3.1 sq mi) (800 hectares (2,000 acres)).^[1]

Geographical features

On 12 July 2016, the tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration concluded that Cuarteron Reef contains, within the meaning of Article 121(1) of the Convention, naturally formed areas of land, surrounded by water, which are above water at high tide. However, for purposes of Article 121(3) of the convention, the high-tide features at Cuarteron Reef is rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own and accordingly shall be entitled to 12nmi of territorial sea measured from its baseline but have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.^[2]

Chinese construction projects

Prior to 2016, Carteron reef had a supply platform and a reef fortress. In 2015 the Philippine government released what it claimed were photos of a six-story facility being built by the Chinese government on the reef.^[3] Also in 2015, China completed the construction of a 50 metres (160 ft) high^[4] lighthouse on the reef.^[5][6] By late 2015, China had expanded the reef's usable area to 23 hectares (57 acres),^[7] reportedly including in the process two helicopter pads, and possibly gun, radar and missile emplacements.^[8] As of 2016, China was reportedly building a high-power radar installation on the reef.^[9]

In late 2016, photographs emerged which suggested that Cuarteron Reef has been armed with anti-aircraft weapons and a CIWS missile-defence system.^[10][11]