Seeking to firm up its hold over the disputed South China Sea, China today said it has commissioned the first desalination plant in the strategic maritime region.
The plant has been set up in Sansha City, a prefecture level city formed in 2012 to administer a number of islands and atolls, including the Spratly Islands which are a disputed group of 14 islands, islets and more than 100 reefs. The new facility, officially commissioned on Saturday on the city's Yongxing Island, is capable of treating 1,000 tonnes of seawater per day and 700 tonnes of processed water is potable, Xinhua news agency reported.