Fault Lines Episode 581: China’s Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers
From Fault Lines by National Security Institute
April 10, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 581
About this episode
The episode discusses China's military expansion in the South China Sea and its implications for U.S. strategy regarding Taiwan.
Today, Les, Morgan, Algene, and Marc examine China's accelerating base construction in the South China Sea, with new activity at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands drawing fresh scrutiny. Beijing has been building artificial islands since launching a major dredging campaign in 2013, insisting the infrastructure is civilian while expanding its military footprint across waterways that carry roughly 30% of global oil trade. International courts have ruled against China's claims, but Beijing has largely ignored those rulings — and few are pressing the point. Is China's construction at Antelope Reef part of a deliberate strategy to deny the U.S. the ability to come to Taiwan's aid? With the U.S. already depleting munitions and military assets at a significant rate, how dangerous is a moment of softening toward Beijing? What investments must the United States make now to restore deterrence before China's position becomes unassailable? Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines. @lestermunson @morganlroach @algenesajery @washingtonflack Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow…
People in this episode
Hosts: Les, Morgan
Topics covered
- China
- South China Sea
- military strategy
- U.S.-China relations
- Taiwan
Keywords
- artificial islands
- dredging campaign
- military footprint
- deterrence
Mentioned in this episode
Places: China, the South China Sea, Antelope Reef, the Paracel Islands, Beijing, U.S., Taiwan, the United States
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