A decade after Beijing rejected the ruling by The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration on its South China Sea claims, rival nations continue to manoeuvre for control in the region. On a scorching summer morning in 2026, over a hundred Chinese tourists visited Tree Island, part of the disputed Paracel Islands, also known as Zhaoshu in China and Dao Cay in Vietnam.

Visitors were met with modern infrastructure including gardens, two-storey houses, air-conditioned government offices, supermarkets, a helicopter pad, a waste-water plant, power stations, and even a prison. The island features clean, well-paved roads where electric sightseeing buggies provide short tours. Despite the development, an island-based guide noted that “the island is 90 per cent covered in vegetation.” Among the visitors were schoolchildren on summer holiday and a retired teacher traveling alone.

This scene highlights the widening gap between international law and geopolitical realities in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s island control continues to reshape the strategic landscape.

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