ANI People's Liberation Army has established and strengthened its outposts in the geopolitically significant South China SeaChina Sea, according to a report.
The People's Liberation Army in the South China SeaChina Sea: An Organizational Guide' was published by Recorded Future, a private cyber security company focused on China's military upgrading facilities in the South China SeaChina Sea.
Over the past decade, new units of the People's Liberation Army have been built and upgraded to man outposts in the South China SeaChina Sea, leaving China's military better positioned to project power in the wider Indo-Pacific region, according to Radio Free Asia.
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China SeaChina Sea and has been involved in territorial disputes with several neighbouring countries.
The Chinese military occupies the entire archipelago and at least seven features in the Spratlys, with the number of troops there estimated to be more than 10,000, according to the report.
The units have received a lot of funding over the past decade and have grown rapidly over the past decade, according to Radio Free Asia, with the main focus on the protection of China's maritime and territorial claims.
By projecting power in the South China SeaChina Sea, Beijing wants to project power within and beyond the first island chain, control access to vital sea lanes of communication or engage with the US in a conflict over the status of Taiwan.
The 33-inch report provides up-to-date and comprehensive research on China's solid military presence on the islands and features in the South China SeaChina Sea.
Zachary Haver, China defence analyst at Recorded Future, said the biggest difficulty was identifying the PLA units.