China claims an island in the South China Sea. Satellite images show the growing power struggle in Beijing in the region.

• The tension continues in the South China Sea, most recently between China and the Philippines.

• China is expanding its scope in the South China Sea by building artificial islands at the top of reefs.

• China’s claims over these islands are illegal and many countries are fighting.

The tension between China and the Philippines is heated over small sand bands and coral reefs in the South China Sea and the United States could be caught in the middle.

“We have to worry about this,” said Greg Pauling, director of the Southeast Asia program and the Asia Transparency Initiative, before Business Insider.

Satellite images below show the massive expansion of China through the South China Sea, which has turned open waters into an onset battlefield that can put the United States.

Over the last decade, China has expanded hundreds of miles to the south, building artificial islands over underwater reefs on the islands of Paracel and stopped in the South China Sea.

It has been a long -standing power struggle between China and many countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan, to control dozens of contested reefs, islands and sand bands in the South China Sea.

Up to $ 5 trillion goods are delivered to the sea annually.

The problem is that China’s allegations of sovereignty about these artificial landmarks are illegal, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Mischief Reef is one of the largest artificial islands in China in Spratlys, covering 1380 acres, enough to fit 1.5 central parks.

Both the Philippines, and China, as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, claim the reef as their own. In 2016, however, the UN tribunal ruled that no territory could claim it.

This did not prevent China from building an impressive military base there.

Satellite images show that China is a militarized reef of mischief with rocket systems, fighters, naval ships and more.

In recent months, many Chinese ships in the South China Sea have threatened to collide with Philippine ships in a region called the Scarborough Shoal, north of the Mishiff Rifa.

Also in Scarborough Shoal, a Chinese fleet helicopter flies dangerously close, within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane in February, AP reported.

Meanwhile, another recent conflict erupted from a controversial series of Sandbar Islands in Spratlys called Sandy Cay.

Sandy Kay is not an underwater reef. The islands remain above the Earth at an ebb, which gives them legitimate status such as “rock” (or land surrounded by water) under UNCLOS.

This means that any legitimate sovereign can also claim 12 nautical miles from the waters around it, Pauling said.

Last week, Chinese state media released a photo of the Chinese coast guards holding the Chinese flag of Sandy Kay, claiming property.

Both China and the Philippines claim sovereignty over Sandy Kay, but neither is it legal.

A few days later, the Philippine Coast Guard replied, posted a photo of his national guard, which holds the Filipino flag of Sandy Kay.

The photo of Sandy Kay is more a stunt than a threat, Pauling said.

However, if the questions are escalated in the South China Sea, especially in the Scarborough Shoal, the United States have a mutual defense contract with the Philippines, agreeing to come to the rescue in the event of an armed attack. He has not reached this point and is likely to be deserted before, Pauling said.

Subi Reef is another of China’s artificial islands equipped with a military base.

“He is illegally busy unless China is able to claim the territorial sea in which he sits,” Pauling said.

About 100 miles southwest of Subi Reef is the fiery cross reef.

While China, Vietnam and the Philippines claim the reef, China’s military presence gives him effective control.

However, China is no longer the only nation that builds artificial islands in the South China Sea.

Vietnam has developed a significant part of the Barque Canada reef in the last few years.

Vietnam is also developing on Discovery Great Reef, another underwater region of the Islands Spratly.

However, at 118 acres, it is nowhere close to the scale of some of China’s development for mischief, sub -and -fiery crossed reefs.

“The Philippines, Vietnam, even Malaysia and Indonesia have done a pretty good job, borrowing firmly,” said Pauling, adding that “I think China just believes that it can exceed the other claimants and that if it maintains this constant pressure cycle, in the end everyone will crack.”

Learn more about what is happening in the South China Sea in the video below:

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