Beijing opens weather stations in South China Sea

China opened on Wednesday, according to the state of the art.

They are located on the Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs in the contested Spratly Islands, where China has reclaimed several square kilometers of land and installed a number of military and civilian facilities.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a press briefing on Thursday that they would mainly be used to ensure navigational safety in the South China Sea.

"The facilities will enable China to provide services to nations across the South China Sea," he said.

CCTV reported. The state of the art, which can be used together for constant monitoring of meteorological indicators, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

"This fills a gap, with weather observation now covering the Spratly Archipelago and its surrounding waters," the report said.

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Data collected by the stations will provide more precise forecasts for the crews in the region, it added.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea – one of the world's busiest waterways with about US $ 3 trillion of goods passing through every year. Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all have conflicting claims to the area.

Previously planned to build a weather station on the Spratlys back in 1987, with a crew of sailors and a crew member. It is a skirmish with the Vietnamese navy the following year. Scores of Vietnamese died and the confrontation marked the beginning of the Chinese occupation of the Spratly reefs.

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More recently, from 2013 to 2016, China has been in the area of ​​mischief, Subi and Fiery Cross are the biggest.

Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, docks for large ships, lighthouses, telecoms and solar power stations, water desalination plants, hospitals, even sports facilities.

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People's Liberation Army troops have been deployed there, with military radars, hangars, fighter jets and bombers, and ground-to-air and anti-ship missiles all reportedly seen on the artificial islands.

The United States has accused China of militarizing the South China Sea and frequently sends warships to patrol the Chinese reefs in freedom of navigation operations.

This article Beijing opens weather stations on artificial islands in South China Sea first appeared on South China Morning Post

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