HONG KONG — Shrouded in Chinese military secrecy and hidden from the eyes of journalists, Beijing’s build-up of man-made islands on reefs deep in…
HONG KONG — Shrouded in Chinese military secrecy and hidden from the eyes of journalists, Beijing’s build-up of man-made islands on reefs deep in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia is a vexing story to report.
Reuters deputy head of graphics Simon Scarr, based in Singapore, had previously dealt with private sector satellite imagery providers but always felt more could be done within the highly competitive field.
Late last year in a conversation with Earthrise Media, an independent group helping journalists obtain and analyze satellite data, Scarr wondered if it would be possible to count buildings on China’s seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago of the hotly contested South China Sea.
During a six-week period, Earthrise digitally scrutinized hundreds of images dating back to 2014 when China started rapidly building up those islands. Reuters journalists checked the data with a range of military and academic contacts.
On a spread sheet of figures confirming extensive construction across the South China Sea, one number stood out – Subi reef was home to nearly 400 buildings, more than expected and nearly double the number on similar islands.
