China is to open disputed South China Sea islands up to tourism this month, Chinese state media reported yesterday, a move likely to inflame a long-running territorial row with its neighbors.
The plans to allow tourists to visit the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) before the May Day holiday is the latest stage in Beijing’s development of the territory, which has previously angered Vietnam and caused concern in Washington.
Vietnam and China have a longstanding territorial row over the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
Hanoi last month accused a Chinese vessel of firing on one of its fishing boats which had sailed in disputed waters in the area.
The plan to allow cruise tours follows rapid development of infrastructure in a new city — Sansha (三沙) — along with the establishment of an army garrison on one of the Paracels last year.
Tourists can only visit the islands on cruise ships as the hotels and other facilities are inadequate, Xinhua news agency said, citing Tan Li (譚力), executive vice governor of Hainan Province.
Tan was speaking on Saturday at the Boao Forum for Asia, which is being held in Hainan.
The report quoted shipbuilder Haihang Group Corp as saying its cruise ship was ready to take about 2,000 passengers on a tour of the islands.
A second cruise ship was being built by Hainan Harbor and Shipping Holdings Co, the report added.
“The tour prices will be relatively high due to the high costs of tourism infrastructure construction,” Hainan-based tour agency general manager Huang Huaru told Xinhua.
Tan said local authorities would build more supply ships and ports, and beef up the infrastructure in Sansha.
The city was established last summer to administer more than 200 islets, sandbanks and reefs in the South China Sea, which also include the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) and Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島).
All the territory within the 2 million square kilometers of waters under Sansha’s “control” is disputed.
The South China Sea is also home to vital shipping lanes and substantial proven and estimated oil and gas deposits.
Located on Woody Island (Yongxing Island, 永興島), Sansha is home to about 1,000 people, mainly involved in the fishing industry. Residents of China’s newest city rely on ships for fresh water and other materials. The Paracels’ only hotel, which has 56 rooms, is also on the island.
Inhabitants have access to a bank and a supermarket, photographs on the Internet show.
There is a library painted in a salmon-colored hue and a basketball court shaded by palm trees.
Other pictures depict people relaxing in hammocks outside their modest dwellings.
China has occupied the Paracels since a brief war with then-South Vietnam in 1974. It is a cluster of about 40 islets, sandbanks and reefs.
Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia all have rival claims to parts of the South China Sea, while the US is also watching Beijing’s increased assertiveness.
In his address opening China’s National People’s Congress last month, former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) said Beijing should “develop the marine economy ... and safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests.”
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS