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South China Sea: Beijing bankrolls science missions as conflict heats up waterway
- China deploys several advanced ships and technologies to explore marine biology, fisheries and mineral resources
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China has been investing heavily in scientific research in the South China Sea in recent years, opening up a new front in its push to establish sovereignty in the areas as tensions with other claimant countries have escalated.
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One of the clearest cases has emerged in recent months with a Chinese study reporting on the degradation of an ecosystem around a Philippine-controlled reef.
That research was soon followed by a separate and contrasting study that described the “excellent” environmental quality of a Beijing-controlled outcrop.
Where were the surveys carried out?
The first study was conducted between April and June near Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine navy grounded the warship BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 to serve as an outpost and shore up its sovereignty claims over the area.
The shoal has been a flashpoint between China and the Philippines, with the Chinese coastguard intercepting a Philippine resupply mission to the shoal in June.
In its report released on July 8, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources concluded that the BRP Sierra Madre had “seriously damaged the diversity, stability and sustainability of the coral reef ecosystems”.
“The Philippines should remove the warship and eliminate the source of the pollution to avoid persistent and cumulative harm to the coral reef ecosystem of Renai Reef,” the ministry said, referring to the reef by its Chinese name.
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