PLAN SCS Bases/Islands/Vessels (Not a Strategy Page)

A couple of pictures of Tree Island and West Sand.


Picture of Zhaoshu (Tree) Island dated 28 June 2016.
There are 6 vessels in the harbor.
Lots of trees are planted in the west - the reclaimed part.
Also, some reclamation done on the north part.



West Sand dated 28 June 2016.
Trees are planted. More greenery than before.
Reclamation occurring in the north west end.

This port, Yazhou will support the fishing activities and industry in the SCS.

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China Daily, August 2, 2016


A traditional ceremony is held to celebrate the opening of the port at Yazhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province, Aug 1, 2016. [Photo / China Daily]


China opened a large fishing port, the closest one to the Nansha Islands, on Monday to handle fishing vessels working in the South China Sea.

Local authorities and thousands of people held a traditional ceremony to celebrate the opening of the port at Yazhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province.

Monday also marked the end of the annual fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea, which started on May 16.

More than 300 fishing vessels flying red flags left the port at noon for nearby South China Sea fishing ground. Those intending to make long journeys delayed leaving because of Typhoon Nida's approach.

Gui Junjiang, a fisherman from Sanya, sailed with his colleagues from the port to the Xisha Islands, about 260 km away, where four generations of his family have fished.

"The new port will provide a more comfortable, clean environment for fishermen, as well as more convenience," he said.

Li Jin, vice-general manager of Sanya Yazhou Port Investment Co, said the port can accommodate 800 fishing boats, but in the long term it will be able to handle 2,000.

Zhang Huazhong, head of the Sanya Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said, "We have not had a large and modern public fishing port that performs various functions. We have now filled the gap."

The port will be the largest in Hainan. Apart from harboring fishing vessels, it can also shield ships from typhoons and serve as a logistics and studies center for fisheries products.

Zhang said earlier that the port has "very important significance in safeguarding China's fishing rights in the South China Sea".

It is also designed to be a support base for exploiting fishery resources and will help with supplies for Sansha, the southernmost Chinese city, which administers an area of about 2 million square kilometers in the South China Sea.

The city headquarters are located on Yongxing Island, which is the largest of the Xisha Islands.

A short video on the new lighthouses in Nansha, four are in operation and the fifth one shortly.

South China Sea navigation: China erects five lighthouses on Nansha Islands

Published on 10 Jul 2016
China has completed the construction of four lighthouses on reefs in the South China Sea to aid maritime navigation in the area. The Ministry of Transport says the lighthouses on Huayang Reef, Chigua Reef, Zhubi Reef, and Yongshu Reef are already in operation. The ministry also said the lighthouses have significantly improved the security for vessels passing through waters in the area.

2016-08-03 13:36:15 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Guan Chao


The launch ceremony for southchinasea.org is held in Beijing, on July 18, 2016. [Photo: haiwainet.cn]

A website called "southchinasea.org" was recently launched in Beijing.

The launch was timely coming shortly after the ruling on the "arbitration" initiated by the former government of the Philippines.

The online portal aims to support China's stance on South China Sea issues and provide factual information to the public.

It will feature updates on expert opinions and historical facts on the South China Sea issue, in addition to listing the latest feeds on tourism and development in the area.


Screenshot of the website.

ahojunk said:

A website called "southchinasea.org" was recently launched in Beijing

Click to expand...

My apologies, there is a typo.

The website is thesouthchinasea.org.

Below is the correct screenshot. The website is in Chinese.

ahojunk said:

My apologies, there is a typo.

The website is thesouthchinasea.org.

Below is the correct screenshot. The website is in Chinese.

View attachment 29577

Click to expand...

Day late and a dollar short.

ahojunk said:

A short video on the new lighthouses in Nansha, four are in operation and the fifth one shortly.

South China Sea navigation: China erects five lighthouses on Nansha Islands

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Published on 10 Jul 2016
China has completed the construction of four lighthouses on reefs in the South China Sea to aid maritime navigation in the area. The Ministry of Transport says the lighthouses on Huayang Reef, Chigua Reef, Zhubi Reef, and Yongshu Reef are already in operation. The ministry also said the lighthouses have significantly improved the security for vessels passing through waters in the area.

Click to expand...

Those are very nice structures, and excellent navigation beacons/helps for the area.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Source: Xinhua |2016-08-06 18:14:26| Editor: huaxia

GUANGZHOU, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Air Force aircraft, including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighters, have completed a patrol of airspace above the Nansha and Huangyan islands in the South China Sea, said a spokesperson Saturday.

The flight is part of actual combat training to improve the Air Force's response to security threats, said Senior Colonel Shen Jinke of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.

Two Su-30 airplanes conducted air refueling twice above the sea, Shen said.

Several types of planes -- bombers, fighters, Airborne Early Warning Aircraft, reconnaissance and tanker airplanes -- performed the patrol, he said, adding that they took off from several airports.

The aircraft have completed a series of training missions, including air defense early warning maneuvers, air combat and island patrolling, in a complicated electromagnetic environment, he said.

The PLA Air Force, which was established 67 years ago, organizes regular South China Sea patrols to safeguard state sovereignty, security and maritime interests, Shen said.

Some pictures of the Chinese military aircraft patrolling South China Sea

Chinese Air Force aircraft, including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighters, have completed a patrol of airspace above the Nansha and Huangyan islands in the South China Sea. The flight is part of actual combat training to improve the Air Force's response to security threats, said Senior Colonel Shen Jinke of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.


A Chinese fighter plane patrols the South China Sea. (Xinhua/Fan Yishu)



A Chinese fighter plane patrols the South China Sea.



A H-6K bomber during a patrol over the South China Sea.



Two Su-30 fighters take off to patrol the South China Sea.



A H-6K bomber patrolling the South China Sea.

They will need to permanently forward deploy fighters to those new islands if they want these combat patrols to have any meaningful operational relevance rather than just being PR ops as they are now.

I believe it should be taken as given that if China declares and ADIZ in the SCS, fighters will be forward deployed to the new islands.

That is one of the main reasons why such a declaration would be such a big deal.