China Establishes Sansha City (Photo : Getty Images)
Besides building landing facilities and other physical structures in the disputed islands in South China Sea, China now plans to seek private investors to put up more infrastructure there.
Another plan by China that would definitely anger its Asian neighbors such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, is to begin regular flights this year, 2016. The island that China wants to invite investors is Woody Island in the Paracels which China now refers to as Sansha City.
Feng Wenshai, deputy mayor of Sansha, says, "The city will also push forward the planning and construction of a maritime medical rescue center. Submarine optical cables will be laid and put into use this year, and WiFi will cover all inhabited islands and reefs," quotes Xinhua News Agency.
He adds that the city would initiate public-private partnership programs, while the airport on Woody Island would roll out regular flights in the coming months. A naval battle with Vietnam in 1974 gave China control of the Paracels.
Feng's statement further fuels fire to the already tense situation between China and Vietnam after Beijing sent two jets that landed on Fiery Cross Reef, one of the disputed territories. The aircraft carried family members of Chinese soldiers stationed in the island. Chinese state media published some of the photos of the passengers on Friday.
Political experts, however, differ on their interpretation of the impact of China's move on the region's maritime trade. Australia Defence Force expert on the South China Sea believes China is, in effect, expanding its territory by building infrastructure on the islands.
But University of New South Wales visiting professor Greg Austin says otherwise. He explains, "We shouldn't allow our shock of China's building up of artificial islands to somehow convince us that this is naked aggression by China," quotes Xinhua News Agency. Austin mirrors Beijing's defense that China is only defending what it believes is part of China's historical claim.
