China brings South China Sea dispute to Times Square. (Photo : Getty Images)
China appears to be taking the maritime grapple to an entirely new stage as a footage featuring islands in the disputed South China Sea is being played 120 times a day at Times Square.
According to China Daily, the video showcased at the "World's Crossroads" will be played repeatedly at the 19-meter-high and 12-meter-wide 2 Times Square for 120 times a day in the big screen from July 23 to Aug. 3.
This would "let the world understand the truth of the South China Sea," a Chinese tourist named Chen hailing from Shandong province told the outlet.
The video features statements from observers who educate people about the "historical and legal basis of China's sovereignty over the South China Sea."
Among those who were featured in the short film are Masood Khalid, Pakistan's ambassador to China; former Policy director of Economic and Business Policy of London John Ross; National Institute for South China Sea Studies President Wu Shicun; and UK Labor party MP Catherine West.
The clip was received positively by many Chinese who are residing or visiting New York though there are still those who consider the clip far from being noteworthy.
"The clip not only clarifies the legitimacy of China's territorial sovereignty over the islands and waters, it also explains our position on the so-called arbitration case on the South China Sea," said Ma Yue, the President of New York-based China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunifications.
Meanwhile, BuzzFeed called the footage "boring" and something that is far from being credible considering that the "observers" who weighed in on the matter are either not quoted fairly or cannot be considered for "unbiased" opinion on the matter.
The website used John Ross as an example of this, noting that he is named as "former Policy director of Economic and Business Policy of London" in the footage while he is also a past leader of an international Marxist group.
Aside from that, BuzzFeed noted that Ross is working as a frequent contributor for Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily and is a fellow at Renmin University of China who has repeatedly defended China's human rights record.
