NewChina’s Sinopec to build service station on Woody Island in disputed South China Sea

Chinese oil major Sinopec is building a service station on an island in the South China Sea, as China continues to expand its civilian infrastructure in the disputed waterway, entrenching its reach in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

The service station and accompanying storage tank on Woody Island in the Paracels will take a year to complete, the company, whose listed flagship is Sinopec, said on its official microblog on Monday.

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Woody Island has a population of roughly 1,000 and Chinese travel agents began offering five-day cruises to the Paracels, a cluster of close to 40 islets, outcrops and reefs in 2013.

The service station and storage tank would satisfy fuel needs in Chinese-controlled islands and reefs in the South China Sea over the next few years, the post said.

“Nouveaux riches, go fishing in Sansha, and remember to bring your filling card,” it quipped, referring to an outpost in the South China Sea centred around Woody Island.

China took full control of the Paracels in 1974 after a naval showdown with the South Vietnamese, and there have been incidents ever since. Taiwan also claims the Paracels.