China has approved a plan to build an underwater observation network across the disputed East and South China seas, in yet another provocative move that will anger Beijing’s neighbours.
China will invest two billion yuan ($292 million) to build the network, which will be capable of all-weather and real time HD multi-interface observation from seabed to surface, state run
Global Times quoted a report by the official China Central Television (CCTV) as saying.
While China claims its sovereignty over the Senkaku islands held by Japan, it also has claims over all of South China Sea (SCS).
Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the seas. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea — parts of which are also claimed by five other countries — and has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.
Both areas were stated to be rich minerals, oil and other natural resources.