Nation-building has come to Asia’s seas — literally — as China and Japan, already embroiled in territorial disputes over existing islands, raise artificial land masses from the ocean.
The expansion of these man-made islands is the latest flashpoint in a region where relations have long been fractious and marked by mutual suspicion, and has sparked concern across the region.
Pham Binh Minh, Vietnam’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, has demanded China halt work on transforming reefs into small colonies with piers and, in one case, a helipad and large buildings.
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