Johnson South Reef

Johnson South Reef, also known as Chigua (Chih-kua) Reef (Chinese: 赤瓜礁; pinyin: Chìguā Jiāo; Wade–Giles: Chih-kua chiao), Gạc Ma Reef (Vietnamese: Đá Gạc Ma), or Mabini Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Mabini, lit. 'Reef of Mabini'),^[1][2] is a reef in the southwest portion of the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. It is controlled by the People's Republic of China (PRC), but its ownership is disputed and also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan (ROC), and Vietnam.

Johnson South Reef

Disputed reef
Johnson South Reef
Johnson South Reef
Other names	赤瓜礁 Chìguā Jiāo (Chinese) Mabini Reef (Philippine English) Bahura ng Mabini (Filipino) Đá Gạc Ma (Vietnamese)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	9°43′N 114°17′E
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administration
China
Province	Hainan
City	Sansha
Claimed by
China
Philippines
Taiwan
Vietnam

Location, topography and structures

Johnson South Reef lies adjacent to the Vietnamese-controlled Collins Reef (also known as Johnson North Reef) which lies 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) to the northwest. It is naturally above water only at low tide. Prior to 2014 it housed a number of small buildings, wharves and a fortified Chinese maritime observation station.^[3]

On 12 July 2016, the tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration concluded that Johnson Reef contains, within the meaning of Article 121(1) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), naturally formed areas of land, surrounded by water, which are above water at high tide. However, for purposes of Article 121(3) of UNCLOS, the high-tide features at Johnson Reef are "rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own and accordingly shall be entitled to 12nm of territorial sea measured from its baseline but have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf".^[4]

Territorial disputes

Johnson South Reef has been occupied by the People's Republic of China since 1988, and is claimed by Vietnam. It was the site of the 1988 Johnson South Reef Skirmish between the PRC and Vietnam that resulted in the death of 64 Vietnamese soldiers,^[5] two Vietnamese boats being sunk, and the Chinese occupying the reef. The PRC government constructed an embankment building on the reef in the early 1990s.^[6]

In July 2012, to further reinforce their claim, a Chinese fleet of 29 fishing vessels from Hainan protected by Yuzheng 310 (a fishery administration patrol ship) spent 20 days fishing in the region.^[7]

Military development

During 2014, Chinese reclamation work expanded the usable surface area to 10.9 hectares (27 acres), accommodating what appears to be a military and radar base and a small harbour.^[8]

In late 2016, photographs emerged which suggested that the expanded reef has been armed with anti-aircraft guns and a CIWS missile-defence system.^[9]

Chigua Jiao (Johnson South Reef)

Đá Cô Lin
(Collins Reef,
Johnson North Reef)

Loveless Reef

Gent Reef

Sinh Tồn (Sin Cowe Island)

Edmund Reef

McKennan Reef

Dōngmén Jiāo (Hughes Reef)

Hallet Reef

Holiday Reef

Empire Reef

Whitson Reef

Ross Reef

Sinh Tồn Đông (Grierson Reef/ Sin Cowe East Island)

Bamford Reef

Tetley Reef

unknown Reef

Jones Reef

Higgens Reef

Đá Len Đao (Landsdowne Reef)

See also

• Great wall of sand
• Johnson South Reef Skirmish
• Nine-dotted line
• Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979-1990