China Starts Patrolling Disputed Area Of Paracel Islands - State Media

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2023) The China Coast Guard has launched a month-long patrol of the waters near Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands, which are subject to conflicting territorial claims by a number of countries in the region, China Central Television reported on Friday.

The coast guard started to patrol the waters of Hainan Island and the Xisha Islands at 4:50 p.m. local time (08:50 GMT) on Thursday, the broadcaster reported.

The report said that the Chinese coast guard conducted the patrols in the area of the Xisha Islands for the first time and that the sailing distance would amount to 1,760 kilometers (1,093 miles).

The territorial affiliation of a number of islands in the South China Sea has been a subject of disputes between China and several other Asia-Pacific countries for decades.

Significant oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the continental shelf of those islands, including the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines are to some extent involved in the disputes.

In July 2016, following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no grounds for territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing said that it did not consider the decision of the court valid and did not recognize it.