No one knows what these hexagonal structures the Chinese keep building in the South China Sea are for
Unidentified hexagonal structures at Fiery Cross, Subi, and Mischief reefs.CSIS/AMTI/Digital Globe/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
In addition to China's lightning-fast construction of military aircraft hangars on reefs in the South China Sea, mysterious facilities have also emerged.
Satellite imagery published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a unit of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, shows several unidentified hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Subi, and Mischief reefs.
The formations are always oriented toward the sea and started to appear in May, according to experts at AMTI.
"I'm afraid I can't comment just yet," Gregory Poling, director of AMTI, told Business Insider about the hexagonal designs. "But the reason we put them out like this is to collect opinions from other experts in the field."
It has been nearly a month since the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated Beijing's vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. All the while, Beijing has maintained the ruling has no bearing and continues to build in the region.
All photos republished with permission from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Subi Reef
China began working on Subi Reef in July 2014 and has since reclaimed 3,950,000 square meters of land. Currently, Subi Reef remains China's northernmost outpost in the Spratly Island chain.
Read more about Subi Reef »
Mischief Reef
Perhaps the most significant portion of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's July 12 500-page unanimous ruling on the South China Sea is the decision on Mischief Reef. According to the ruling, the reef and everything on it legally belongs to the Philippines.
This is in spite of China's reclamation of approximately 5,580,000 square meters of land, and the construction of a 9,800-foot runway, radar nests, and what some experts have speculated is a soon-to-be naval base.
"The court ruled China's initial occupation of Mischief Reef and its construction of facilities there illegal, so every day that China continues to make use of those facilities it is violating international law," Poling told Business Insider in a previous interview.
Read more about Mischief Reef »
Fiery Cross Reef
Meanwhile on Fiery Cross Reef, China has reclaimed approximately 2,740,000 square meters of land, and it constructed a 9,800-foot runway, a dredged harbor that is large enough to receive tankers and major surface combat ships, and a possible radar tower.
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