Pictured: ‘Chinese airbase’ being built on disputed island near Vietnam

Beijing and Manila are currently in a heated standoff over a shoal within the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone, where Gilberto Teodoro, the Philippines’ defence secretary, has accused China of “invasion” through the harassment of his nation’s vessels.

The ruling Chinese Communist party claims most of the South China Sea – through which trillions of dollars of trade passes every year – even though these assertions were dismissed by an international tribunal in 2016.

Prior to the new construction, Triton Island was home to an observation station with two radomes, a small helipad, harbour and large Chinese flags.

Since 2016, the US Navy has conducted several freedom of navigation operations within 12 nautical miles of the outpost, signalling it does not recognise China’s territorial claims, and triggering strong objections from Beijing.