Was reading some news and found the following info about Christmas Island, taken from Facebook (source - The Guardian):

"Kiribati Will Lift Islands to Avoid Rising Sea

It’s just trying to keep its head above water. While a previous administration of the archipelago nation bought land in Fiji as a potential refuge if climate change makes Kiribati uninhabitable, current President Taneti Maamau’s new plan is to elevate the islands by dredging nearby waters for fill. Maamau, who’s seen as allied with China and was just reelected in June, says he won’t accept large loans or allow China to build a base on its strategically key Christmas Island, though China has funded similar infrastructure projects before to gain military access to other small countries."

The prospect of dredging the flats around Christmas Island is bad enough but having the Chinese government establish a military presence there, as well, is mind boggling....