Amid the rising tensions in the South China Sea, China has put up a new laboratory to study the natural resources found in the region.
Initiated by the Hainan University and the Hainan Science and Technology Department, the new State Key Laboratory of Marine Resources Utilization of the South China Sea has been tasked with studying the various resources that are found in the region, China Daily reported.
According to the lab's head and Hainan University president Li Jianbao, they will particularly look into how the region's marine bio-resources can be used for medical purposes, as well as finding ways to protect the marine ecology.
Additionally, the lab will also conduct researches on the new materials and mineral resources that might be found in the area. It will also conduct extensive surveys and develop ways to utilize information gathered from these more effectively.
Li further said that there would be 40 researchers assigned to the laboratory, with recruitment ongoing before it commences operation.
The South China Sea has long been believed to be rich in a variety of mineral and other resources, leading to several countries, including China, to lay claim on the entirety of the region or parts of it.
This has lead to territorial disputes, the latest of which was that between China and the Philippines, which was brought to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) tribunal at The Hague.
Meanwhile, Indonesia maintained that it has no dispute with China over the South China Sea. Senior Indonesian officials stressed their position at a forum held on Aug. 2, adding that the country will remain as a non-claimant to the region, Channel News Asia reported.
Government officials reaffirmed the position amid calls for Indonesian President Joko Widodo to revoke the non-claimant stance following fresh clashes between the Indonesian Navy and Chinese fishermen who entered the waters around Natuna Islands.
The country has long considered the island as part of its territory, while China claims it to be part of its traditional fishing grounds.