An aerial photo shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the East Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015.
Photo: REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool

(VOVworld) - China has reclaimed more land in the Spratly islands in the East Sea than previously known. A new Pentagon report, called the Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy, said "The infrastructure China appears to be building would enable it to establish a more robust power projection presence into the East Sea".

In a statement, China's Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Zhu Haiquan said China had "completed the relevant island and reef area reclamation project" at the end of June. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter confirmed that the US army would continue to fly over the region and send its ships into any waters allowed by international law.