Chinese patrol ship to be based at disputed islands in South China Sea
It will sail in areas of South China Sea where the Philippines and Vietnam make claims
China is to base a 5,000-tonne marine patrol ship at disputed islands in the South China Sea, a government newspaper said yesterday, a move that is likely to fuel territorial disputes with its Asian neighbours.
The China Ocean News, which is published by the State Oceanic Administration, said the vessel would be based at the small town of Sansha on one of the Paracel Islands and that a regular patrol system would be set up from the base gradually.
Sansha was established two years ago to administer areas of the South China Sea that are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.
The decision to base the patrol boat in the area was part of an agreement between Sansha and the maritime authorities in Hainan , the report said.
The agreement covered search-and-rescue missions, marine conservation and overseeing safe navigation in the area, the newspaper said.
China's biggest patrol vessel is a 4,000-tonne ship, suggesting it will build a bigger vessel to carry out the patrols from Sansha.
Meanwhile, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, one of the country's two shipbuilding giants, said yesterday it was to build a 10,000-tonne marine surveillance ship.