Grierson Reef

Grierson Reef/Sin Cowe East Island
Disputed island;
	Grierson Reef
	Location within Spratly Islands
Other names	; Sinh Tồn Đông (Vietnamese); Burunyugan Reef 14 (Philippine English); Bahura ng Burunyugan 14 (Filipino); 染青沙洲 Rǎnqīng shāzhōu (Chinese)
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	9°54′9″N 114°33′51″E / 9.90250°N 114.56417°E
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Area	2.8 ha (6.9 acres)
Administration
	Vietnam
District	Trường Sa District
Commune	Sinh Tồn Commune
Claimed by
	China
	Philippines
	Taiwan

Grierson Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Burunyugan 14); Sin Cowe East Island (Vietnamese: Đảo Sinh Tồn Đông); Mandarin Chinese: 染青沙洲; pinyin: Rǎnqīng shāzhōu, is a cay on the eastern part of the Union Banks of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The island has been occupied by Vietnam since 1978. It is also claimed by China (PRC), the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan (ROC).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Geography

The original island (before additional land reclamation) was approximately 160 metres (520 ft) long, 60 metres (200 ft) wide, and surrounded by a sandy shore ranging from 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 ft) in width. The natural land area of the island was approximately 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres). Both ends of the island feature sandbars that shift seasonally with wind and wave patterns.^[4]

In 2014, Vietnam constructed a seawall around the island and expanded it (210 metres [690 ft] long and 100 metres [330 ft] wide), adding approximately 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres) of land, bringing the total area of the island to approximately 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres). From 2019 onwards major defensive structures were built on the island, such as bunkers, coastal fortifications, and possibly missile pads.^[5]

On June 7, 2022, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha inaugurated the Sinh Tồn Đông Pagoda on the island. ^[6]

Starting in March 2025, Vietnam began land reclamation activities to expand Sinh Tồn Đông Island while dredging a harbor on the southern part of the island.^[7]