Artificial island
There are several reasons for the construction of these islands, which include residential, industrial, commercial, structural (for bridge pylons) or strategic purposes.
[9] Many artificial islands have been built in urban harbors to provide either a site deliberately isolated from the city or just spare real estate otherwise unobtainable in a crowded metropolis.
An example of the first case is Dejima (or Deshima), created in the bay of Nagasaki in Japan's Edo period as a contained center for European merchants.
Similarly, Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay beside New York City, a former tiny islet greatly expanded by land reclamation, served as an isolated immigration center for the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century, preventing an escape to the city of those refused entry for disease or other perceived flaws, who might otherwise be tempted toward illegal immigration.
A boom town development company was building a sea wall for an island that was to be called Isola di Lolando but could not stay in business after the 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression, dooming the island-building project.
Together with the Noordoostpolder, which includes some small former islands like Urk, the polders form Flevoland, the 12th province of the Netherlands that almost entirely consists of reclaimed land.
[18] Maldives have been creating various artificial islands to promote economic development and to address the threat of rising sea level.
Hulhumalé island was reclaimed to establish a new land mass required to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the Malé region.
The full development of this project will be implemented, in line to boosting regional economic sector, promoting tourism and culture, and prioritizing environmental balance and biodiversity in Sarawak.
[25] The idea and planning of building this artificial island along with a new international airport complex is in line with the launching of a newest Sarawak owned airline, AirBorneo.
The large quantities of sand required to build these islands are acquired through dredging, which is harmful to coral reefs and disrupts marine life.
[29][30] The construction of artificial islands also decreases the subaqueous area in surrounding waters, leading to habitat destruction or degradation for many species.
Over time, after World War II, several countries have been reported to have built artificial islands for strategic and military purposes.
UNCLOS also enshrines the freedom of navigation and overflight in the EEZ of coastal states, which implies that all countries have the right to sail, fly, and conduct military exercises in those waters.
Nevertheless, China has repeatedly challenged this principle by constructing artificial islands, imposing restrictions on navigation, and militarising the area.
A key issue revolves around determining the classification of land masses as either rocks or seabed, which holds significant importance in these disputed cases.
According to this legal framework, low-tide elevations are considered part of the seabed and do not generate a territorial sea, EEZ, or continental shelf.
[40][41][42] The Spratly Islands have been a subject of contention among multiple countries, including Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and China.
Reclamation activities conducted between 12 and 200 nautical miles are considered part of the process of establishing and utilising artificial islands, installations, and structures, governed by specific provisions within UNCLOS.
[44] Coastal states are permitted to undertake reclamation within designated areas as long as they fulfil their obligation to inform other countries and respect their rights, as outlined by UNCLOS rules.
This comprehensive definition portrays hybrid strategy as a versatile and complex approach utilising a combination of conventional and unconventional means, overt and covert activities, involving military, paramilitary, irregular, and civilian actors across different domains of power.
One supporting argument is that the majority of the activities occur in uninhabited areas at sea, which contradicts a definition of hybrid warfare that suggests it is targeted at populations.
It is worth noting that China employs unarmed or lightly armed vessels deliberately, as they are unlikely to resort to deadly force.
Some viewpoints contend that China's establishment of military bases on artificial islands serves as a means to assert their territorial claims through the use of force.
[1] This approach is referred to as the Cabbage strategy, wherein a contested area is encircled by multiple layers of security to deny access to rival nations, ultimately solidifying their claim.
