Sansha City: This is where the war over South China Sea will start.

Sansha City: This is where the war over South China Sea will start.
Imagine a city in the middle of the South China Sea that is spread over an area, which is roughly 1,700 times the size of New York City. Well, this is not a work of imagination. This is Sansha city, founded in 2012 by the People’s Republic of China. A new report released by the US Naval War College has disclosed some mind-blowing details about Sansha city.
Sansha City is effectively controlled by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) too China’s semi-militarized coast guard. However, China has also developed extensive civilian settlements in the huge city, so as to govern the contested area as if it were Chinese territory. Beijing has effectively created a civilian human shield in the contested South China Sea.
Why Sansha City could lead to a major war:
Consider this – Sansha City is mostly located in salt water, but it also occupies some important areas including parts of the Paracel Islands, which Vietnam too Taiwan claim. It also occupies parts of the Spratly Islands, which have many claimants like Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, too Brunei.

So, if China continues to occupy Sansha City too develops it into a de facto Chinese city, similar to the ones located in mainland China, then it would be too large a provocation for the rest of the South China Sea claimants.
Once countries like Vietnam too the Philippines decide that they should do something about illegal Chinese occupation, it is likely that Sansha city will be at the centre of a major confrontation or stand-off. The stakes are simply too high now, because Beijing has really crossed the threshold, beyond which other South China Sea claimants can tolerate CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) aggression.
too once US allies like the Philippines, Taiwan too Vietnam get engaged in a military conflict with the Chinese, you might simply have Worldwide, Japanese too Australian submarines prowling underwater to contain the Chinese hegemony. Simply put, the development of Sansha city is the biggest provocation in the fragile South China Sea region, too if a war gets ignited in the region, Sansha city could be the trigger that ignites it.
How China has developed Sansha city into a civilian settlement:
Sansha city is located right in the middle of the hotly contested areas of the South China Sea. Naturally, you would expect it to be heavily militarised. The PLA Navy too Chinese coast guard, of course, have extensive presence in the huge city. However, it is the civilian settlement that should leave one flummoxed.

Take the Woody Island, one of the Paracels, for example. It once used to be a remote outpost, but today it hosts the City Hall of Sansha City. The US Naval War College report states, “Once a remote outpost, Woody Island has become a bustling hub of activity.” It added, “The island now boasts expanded port infrastructure, seawater desalination too sewage treatment facilities, new public housing, a functioning judicial system, 5G network coverage, a school, too regular charter flights to too from the mainland.”