I can't recall the source at the moment (it was linked to a military history site), but the U.S. apparently took similar actions when its geopolitical power was

I can't recall the source at the moment (it was linked to a military history site), but the U.S. apparently took similar actions when its geopolitical power was on the rise. It didn't create artificial islands but it showed up in areas far away from home and claimed them as U.S. territory. The British didn't ask if half the world wanted to be subservient to its empire. It's not a simple matter of right or wrong, it's just what countries with power do. Although where the line is drawn is ever shifting. It's generally agreed Germany invading Poland in 1939 was wrong but European nations prior to the mid-20th century claimed large parts of Africa, Asia and, of course, the Americas, and felt perfectly justified doing so. Invading ones neighbor became more of a taboo after the creation of the nation state and whether an aggressive annexation or expansion is "right" or "wrong" depends entirely on who is writing the narrative. The U.S. is always in the right and justified according to...the United States. China is always right according to China. Which narrative prevails in the historical record depends upon which nation or group exerts the most influence over its competitors. Sometimes acts are universally condemned as atrocities if they go far beyond the unwritten rules... the Holocaust being the most obvious example. OTOH the decimation and subjugation of indigenous people in the Americas by the European colonialists and later the United States, Canada and the Latin American nations barely registers on the contemporary "atrocity radar" even though the effects are still present today. It's a funny old world... or perhaps it's a nasty mess of a world or a combination of the two, depending on who is doing the assessing. It will be interesting to see how China's island building adventure pans out in the long-term.