JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground
HTML
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.12.1/jquery-ui.min.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.12.1/themes/base/jquery-ui.css">
<div class="tree">
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>A</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>1</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>x</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>xx1</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>xx2</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>2</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>B</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>3</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>4</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>5</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>C</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>6</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>y</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>yy1</span>
</label>
</a>
<ul>
<li>
<a>
<label>
<span>yyy1</span>
</label>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
CSS
.placeholder { height: 20px; border: 1px dotted red;}
ul.new {border: 1px dashed blue; height: 20px;}
JavaScript
$("div.tree ul").sortable({
items: "li",
connectWith: "ul",
placeholder: "placeholder",
toleranceElement: "> a",
opacity: 0.5,
sort: function( event, ui )
{
$("ul:empty").remove();
var prev_li = ui.placeholder.prev("li");
if(prev_li.length)
{
if(ui.helper.position().left > prev_li.position().left + 50)
{
if(!prev_li.children("ul").length)
{
prev_li.append("<ul class='new'></ul>");
}
}
}
},
stop: function( event, ui )
{
$("ul.new:empty").remove();
}
}).disableSelection();