Tourist Industry Taps Into The Three Gorges Dam (Photo : Getty Images)
The international community is waiting for the July 7 decision of the U.N. Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) which country owns Scarborough or Panatag Shoal as China, the Philippines and other Asian nations claim it.
The ruling is expected to provide clarity on the issue but also over the other islands in the South China Sea that Beijing claims to own but disputed by its neighbors in the region. China has said it would not recognize the PCA verdict since it did not participate in the discussions at The Hague.
China’s insistence that it owns the disputed islands was further emphasized on Wednesday when Beijing announced that it would make available regular civilian cruises to the Spratlys by 2020. The service would be operated by the island-province of Hainan, reported Reuters.
“The province plans a pan-South China Sea cruise line and cruise trips business covering countries along the Maritime Silk Road,” read the announcement over state media.
At Paracels, which China calls Xisha Islands, China has been running cruises since 2013. China COSCO Shipping, a state-owned company, would launch cruise trips to the Paracels beginning in July. These moves would not only worsen China’s diplomatic ties with its neighbors but also the U.S. which has called on the countries involved to exercise restraint when the court issues its verdict in a few weeks, reported Fox.
In insisting it would not recognize the PCA decision, Beijing stressed it wants to instead have one-on-one discussions with the countries disputing the claim. However, the proposal favors China because it could flex its military muscle and bully the smaller nations that claim the islands are theirs.
