A Cry in the Night

In less than two years China has reclaimed more than 2,900 acres of land from the South China Sea in an intensive island-building campaign in the disputed Spratly Islands. By undertaking these actions, Beijing is unilaterally altering the physical status quo in the region, thereby complicating diplomatic initiatives that could lower tensions. With its rich oil and gas potential, the South China Sea has been a source of contention for decades.
China, Vietnam and Taiwan claim all 200 or so of the Spratlys land features, while Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia claim parts of them. China is dredging up sand and expanding reefs and rocks into artificial islands in the region, dwarfing similar activities of its rivals. China has now reclaimed 17 times more land in 20 months than the other claimants combined over the past 40 years, accounting for approximately 95 percent of all reclaimed land in the Spratly Islands. It has reclaimed land on seven of its eight outposts in the Spratlys, and as of June 2015 had reclaimed more than 2,900 acres of land. On all of its reclamation sites, China has either started building infrastructure or staged equipment to develop it.
While still unclear what China intends to build on the reclaimed land, Beijing claims the outposts will have a military component, which would pose a direct threat to Taiwan. At some sites it has dug deep channels and built berthing sites for larger ships. Beijing is building an air strip on Fiery Cross Reef that is more than twice the length of air strips built on rival outposts by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia.
When China launches a weather manipulation satellite, MI6 Agent Nick Page enters the fray. But all does not go as planned. More fact than fiction, "A CRY IN THE NIGHT" is a fast paced tale of espionage and international intrigue based around events currently escalating in the South China Sea.