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

Geographer said:

That's what I meant, joshuatree, that the channel cuts across one edge/side of the reef.

The Paracel Islands has many small and undeveloped islands. None are as big as Woody Island but reclamation could enlarge them to be very large islands capable of supporting a runway and harbor. There's a lot of potential development in those islands with fewer of the political problems in the Spratly Islands. When China reclaims land in the Spratlys, the world calls China expansionist. But nobody except Vietnam care if China reclaims land in the Paracels.

Click to expand...

Geographer said:

That's what I meant, joshuatree, that the channel cuts across one edge/side of the reef.

The Paracel Islands has many small and undeveloped islands. None are as big as Woody Island but reclamation could enlarge them to be very large islands capable of supporting a runway and harbor. There's a lot of potential development in those islands with fewer of the political problems in the Spratly Islands. When China reclaims land in the Spratlys, the world calls China expansionist. But nobody except Vietnam care if China reclaims land in the Paracels.

Click to expand...

Two years after establishing Sansha city which comprises a group of barren islands in the South China Sea, the Chinese government is working to make the island cluster more habitable for humans and wildlife.

The second stage of a greening project for Sansha in south China's Hainan Province was officially announced on Friday, highlighting efforts to make the islands, home to about 1,000 fishermen, more environmentally friendly.

According to the investment plan, 18 million yuan (about $2.92 million) will be used to build desalination systems and grow trees on Xishazhou Island in the hope of turning the island into a new oasis.

GREENING THE ISLANDS

To better manage its territories, China officially established Sansha city in 2012 to administer the island groups of Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha, as well as their surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Ye Xingbin, who sought shelter with a few other fishermen on Sansha's Yagong Island during a storm in 2000, found the environment extremely unfriendly at the time. The 9,800-square-meter island is made of coral rock and had no water or soil and barely any wildlife.

"There was no greenery except for some weeds," Ye said. Ye shipped trees from Hainan Island and tried to plant them on Yagong, but none of the trees survived due to high temperatures and lack of water.

Tree-planting efforts by the government following Sansha's founding have revitalized Ye's early greening efforts.

Coconut and casuarina trees, which prove to be more tolerant to salt, heat, and wind, have been planted on the bare islands that make up Sansha city. Soil, fresh water and fertilizers were transported from Hainan Island to aid the tree growth, said Sansha mayor Xiao Jie.

During the greening project's first stage between 2012 and 2013, more than 3,500 trees were planted on the islands of Zhaoshu, Yagong, Lingyangjiao, Yinyu and Jinqin, official data showed.

Thanks to careful management, the trees have had a high survival rate, with coconut trees reaching 98 percent, according to Xiao.

"There is not only the blue ocean and sea shells, but also green trees now, which have added to the views of the Xisha islands," said Zhan Dafeng, a fisherman who made his home on Zhaoshu Island a decade ago.

The greenery has improved living conditions, helped block the wind and prevent the erosion of the coast. It has also wooed seabirds and turtles, according to Zhan.

Sansha is aiming to develop its tourism sector into one of the city's pillar industries. Cruises around the islands launched last year, but only on a small scale due to transportation difficulties and the harsh environment.

To help maintain marine biodiversity and preserve fishery resources, the city has also carried out a program to introduce marine life, such as sea turtles, small fish and sea snails.

ECO-FRIENDLY INFRASTRUCTURE

Sansha's residents mostly dwell in the Xisha islands. Since Sansha city was established, more than 60 companies have registered business there, covering finance, logistics, entertainment, agriculture and fishery.

Yongxing Island, the seat of government and biggest island in Sansha, has now taken the shape of a city. It has an airport, a hospital, sea ports, roads, delivery outlets, restaurants and banks. A primary school broke ground on Yongxing early this year and is expected to be completed next year.

However, infrastructure on other islands is poor, and more is needed to make Sansha both livable and eco-friendly. A number of projects are being completed to aid residents and minimize their environmental impact.

Feng Wenhai, vice mayor of Sansha, said that a waste-water treatment plant with daily capacity of 1,800 tonnes and a waste collection plant that can process 20 tonnes of garbage each day, both on Yongxing Island, will be put into use by October this year to address urban waste pollution.

Garbage on smaller islands will be shipped to Yongxing for treatment after completion of a garbage transport ship by the end of the year.

A desalinator capable of processing 1,000 cubic meters of seawater a day is under construction to ensure supplies of fresh water. The project aims to stop exploitation of underground water on Yongxing by 2015.

Yongxing relies mainly on gasoline and solar power for electricity, and photovoltaic equipment has been installed on many of the smaller islands.

A dynamic maritime monitoring system is also being developed. An environmental protection station was set up on Ganquan Island in February, and similar stations will be built on other islands, said Shi Guoning, head of Sansha's land resources and environmental protection department.

A draft plan for Sansha's ecological protection was completed early this year. Xiao said that implementation of the plan will help more of Sansha city's islands become sea oases.

Click to expand...

Geographer said:

Meanwhile in the Paracel Islands...

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

on 24 July 2014

Drummond Island appears to be uninhabited in its 2005 Google Earth photo. Recent imagery of all the Paracel and Spratly Islands is sorely lacking except for Woody island. I think we're all desperate for some new aerial photos of these important islands!

The island is part of a large submerged reef. Part of that reef forms an L-shape 13 kilometers long. China is probably dredging two channels: a short one to give big boats direct access to the island, and a longer one cutting through the entire reef to shorten the certain intra-Paracel Island routes.

Click to expand...

Jinqing Island of the Xisha Islands, Drummond Island in English, is is about two-tenths of a square kilometer, and is home to some 80 fishermen.

Click to expand...

joshuatree said:

Some new tidbits regarding development on those islands.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

joshuatree said:

Geographer, I think I found the reason for the dredging around Drummond. Looks like an establishment of a fishing village. Link even has a video clip of life on Drummond. I wonder why they can't turn to aquaculture.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

mr.bean said:

well it's a bit too late for that call now! once china gave the green light it won't stop just because the US is calling for a construction freeze. Taiwan media quoting Russian military experts say those mammoth island building projects china is doing in the SCS should cost approx US$5 billion each (that's contruction plus all facilities and equipment) and they are building 5 so that would be approx US$25 billion cost. that's a lot of money but worth every dime, that shows just how committed china is. as for the United States I think china shouldn't even respond to their statements, for now china's motto in the SCS should be 'more action, less talk' because talk is cheap it's action that counts.

Click to expand...

PanAsian said:

I think aquaculture works better in deeper waters where waste doesn't accumulate as easily. It also makes more sense to pursue aquaculture where natural aquatic life is not already plentiful otherwise you are not improving the supply as much.

Click to expand...