Mischief Reef

About

Mischief Reef, also known as Meiji Reef (Chinese: 美濟礁/美济礁; pinyin: Měijì Jiāo), Panganiban Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Panganiban), or Vành Khăn Reef (Vietnamese: Đá Vành Khăn), is a low tide elevation (LTE) reef/atoll surrounding a large lagoon in the southeastern region of Dangerous Ground in the east of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It is located 239 kilometres (149 mi) west of Palawan Island of the Philippines. It is under the de facto control of the People's Republic of China (PRC) under the administration of Nansha, Sansha City, Hainan province. It is claimed by the Philippines as part of the Kalayaan Islands municipality in the province of Palawan. Activities by the PRC in the mid-2010s have created a large artificial island on the atoll including an approximately 2,700-metre (8,900 ft) runway and associated airfield.

Although the reef is well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and traditional fishing grounds, Mischief Reef has been controlled by the PRC since 1995, and is also claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam. The PRC performed various reclamation activities in at least two locations on the rim of the atoll in the period from 1995 to 2013. However, from the end of 2013 to the end of 2016 a large artificial island of 558 hectares (1,379 acres) was created around the majority of the lagoon's perimeter.

The reef was the subject of a 2016 tribunal ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, where the landmark ruling stated the nine-dash line as moot and without basis. Mischief Reef was also ruled as a low tide elevation (LTE) meaning it cannot possess a territorial 12-mile (19 km) boundary regardless of the reclamation and a military base installation by the PRC.

The area is said to be rich in as of yet unexplored oil and gas fields.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.