To show that it is defying the expected ruling of the U.N. Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in favor of the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea, China announced on Sunday that construction of a lighthouse it is building is about to be completed.
The fifth lighthouse is on Meiji Reef, according to Xu Ruqing, head of China’s Maritime Safety Administration. The four others, already operational, are found on Huayang, Chigua, Zhubi and Yongshu Reefs, reported China Daily.
The one on Yongshu Reef was lit on June 25. The five lighthouses stand 50 to 55 meters tall and have the Automatic Identification System, used globally for marine communication. It allows ships in surrounding waters to get up-to-date information and send messages to the lighthouse if it needs help.
Rather than consider the lighthouse a political statement on the territorial dispute with its Asian neightbors, Xu said the lighthouses construction is a reflection of China’s “dedication to its responsibility of boosting navigational safety in the South China Sea.”
He added the five lighthouses would function similar to how the 2,000 other lighthouses spread on China’s coastal regions which provided 24/7 navigational services for maritime and rescue activities. Xu said that besides the lighthouse, the agency would place beacons at vital spots of the South China Sea’s main international channel.
The announcement came just two days before the PCA releases its verdict. On Monday, The Washington Post quoted a front page editorial in People’s Daily in which Beijing painted itself as the real victim in the South China Sea dispute.
“The facts have proved clearly that the Philippines South China Sea arbitration case is completely a ‘trap’ targeting China, which is hyped and manipulated by the U.S., led by the Philippines, and with cooperation from the arbitration courtroom,” the Communist Party mouthpiece wrote.