China has opened its southernmost cinema on a dispute island in the South China Sea, state media said, part of an on-going effort to build up civilian infrastructure and assert Beijing’s sovereignty.
The cinema is on Woody Island in the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, and is equipped with the most advanced projection equipment, state news agency Xinhua said on Sunday.
“The opening of the cinema is part of a plan by local cultural authorities to establish community services on islands under Sansha’s jurisdiction,” Xinhua said.
Woody Island is the seat of what China calls Sansha city that is its administrative centre for the South China Sea.
China took full control of the Paracels in 1974 after a naval showdown with Vietnam.
Though China calls it a city, Sansha’s permanent population is no more than a few thousand, and many of the disputed islets and reefs in the sea are uninhabited.
That has not stopped China’s ambitious plans for the islands there, including building airfields and allowing Chinese tourists to access the area via cruise ships.
China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to parts of the sea, through which passes about $5 trillion of trade a year.
It is sure that China will also support territorial claims that exceed 12 nautical miles. Before the establishment of the UNCLOS Syria’s territorial waters was 35 miles wide, and Lybia claimed a 62 mile wide territorial waters, Now they and others can join China to claim even wider territorial waters thanks to China.
Your welcome, US’s guam and hawaii is 1000s mile from US homeland, and they enjoy a even wider territorial waters.
China thanks USA for doing this, they are just following in the foodstep of their US masters.
Reuter is the most virulent China threatist.
Another China Spring will begin with a single sparrow.
If you will to ask me, self censorship media in China is better than the fake news media in America.
HNA acquisition spree will added massively to the bankster fees and bonuses
More foreigners will be needed to come to Hubei to fill the jobs local will not take up. It is a Win-Win like in Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia etc. The other route like building a Mexican wall is self defeating.
To be the richest will be the highest ego trip as new USD millionaires are minted by the millions every day.
China economy is in a virtous cycle with many many years of gas left while the EU has fallen into a vicious cycle with an aging population.
Overseas gamblers always bring their sex and crime culture along.
The Kim dude is adding more bites to his bark culture at the Hegemon and its allies.
Under the weak Tsai administration, the Taiwanese police will return to its heyday glory as in its Shanghai police-underground culture.
The West is actually a much riskier place for investors in the real world than the constant noises about China collapse.
It only shows that North Korean population is growing slowly while the South Korean population is dying slowly.