China to develop tourism on disputed islands
China has announced plans to develop tourism on a group of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The Paracel Islands (called the Xisha Islands in China) are also claimed by Vietnam, which lost control of them in a war with China in 1974. Now, state news agency Xinhua has reported that China will launch tours to the islands, starting with cruise visits during the upcoming May Day holiday.
“People will be allowed to visit the islands on cruise tours,” Tan Li, the Executive Vice Governor of Hainan province was reported saying on Saturday, on the eve of the annual 2013 Boao Forum in Hainan.
Details on the tour routes have not yet been released, but it was revealed that tourists will sleep on the cruise ships and visit the disputed islands for daytime shore excursions. This is mainly due to the fact that there is only one hotel in the Paracels – a 56-room property on Yongxing Island – and no fresh water supplies.
China is planning further development for the islands, however. Last year it established the town of Sansha, which is designed as the administrative centre of the Paracel Island group. Authorities are now planning to develop more ports as well as water and sewage systems on the islands.
Any further development however, is certain to anger Vietnam. The two countries are currently embroiled in a bitter feud over a number of islands in the South China Sea, including the Paracels. Vietnamese airports have even stopped stamping a new type of Chinese passport that shows the extent of territory claimed by China.
The Paracel Islands comprise more than 30 islets and reefs covering an area of approximately 15,000km², 330km south of Hainan Island. They are also claimed by Taiwan.