--- description: China has aired the first official footage of ongoing construction on a disputed reef it claims in the restive South China Sea. title: China Shows Video of Disputed South China Sea Reef image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt472357a4911e61fd/698891fa0b72e3a95c6e93ee/gettyimages-489541506.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Chinese TV Shows Footage of Construction on Disputed South China Sea Reef by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 5, 2016 9:16 AM CUT  DigitalGlobe imagery of the nearly completed construction within the Fiery Cross Reef located in the South China Sea. DigitalGlobe imagery of the nearly completed construction within the Fiery Cross Reef located in the South China Sea.DigitalGlobe—ScapeWare3d/Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 5, 2016 9:16 AM CUT China has aired the [first official footage](http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/981454.shtml "undefined") of ongoing construction on a disputed reef it claims in the restive South China Sea. Footage of buildings, roads and lighthouses under construction at Fiery Cross Reef — known by the Chinese as Yongshu — were seen in a report by China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday, according to the state-run _Global Times_ newspaper. The report was about a navy song and dance troupe from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that performed on the reef. Fiery Cross is also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. China [treats virtually the entire](http://time.com/4034455/south-china-sea-admiral-yuan-yubai-maritime-dispute/ "undefined") South China Sea — a major international shipping lane that sees billions of dollars of trade pass through annually — as its sovereign territory, despite Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia all claiming parts of the waterway. The Chinese government has [justified](http://time.com/4123851/south-china-sea-asean-islands-militarization/ "undefined") its rapid [military](http://time.com/4235089/south-china-sea-woody-island-fighter-jets/ "undefined") [buildup](http://time.com/4283217/china-lighthouse-subi-reef-south-china-sea/ "undefined") on several disputed islets, saying it is simply defending its own territory, while also [condemning](http://time.com/4247515/south-china-sea-militarization-defense-us/ "undefined") U.S. Navy [patrols](http://time.com/4310685/us-navy-john-stennis-south-china-sea-history/ "undefined") in the area as acts of aggression. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4319069/south-china-sea-fiery-cross-yongshu-reef-construction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4319069/south-china-sea-fiery-cross-yongshu-reef-construction/"},"headline":"Chinese TV Shows Footage of Construction on Disputed South China Sea Reef","datePublished":"2016-05-05T09:16:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:17:30.447Z","description":"A military song and dance troupe also feature in the broadcast footage","url":"https://time.com/4319069/south-china-sea-fiery-cross-yongshu-reef-construction/","keywords":["China","roads","Construction","South China Sea","video","building"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt472357a4911e61fd/698891fa0b72e3a95c6e93ee/gettyimages-489541506.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt472357a4911e61fd/698891fa0b72e3a95c6e93ee/gettyimages-489541506.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"DigitalGlobe imagery of the nearly completed construction within the Fiery Cross Reef located in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross is located in the western part of the Spratly Islands group. Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images.","caption":"DigitalGlobe imagery of the nearly completed construction within the Fiery Cross Reef located in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross is located in the western part of the Spratly Islands group. Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images.","creditText":"DigitalGlobe—ScapeWare3d/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4319069/south-china-sea-fiery-cross-yongshu-reef-construction/","name":"Chinese TV Shows Footage of Construction on Disputed South China Sea Reef"}}]}] ```