China moves to formally garrison South China Sea
Despite protests from other Asian countries, China's military is making moves to up their presence in the disputed South China Sea.
Anti-China protesters chant slogans during an anti-China protest at a park in Hanoi July 22. Vietnamese protesters demonstrated in Hanoi on Sunday against China's moves to strengthen its claim on disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Reuters
Beijing
's powerful Central Military Commission has approved the formal establishment of a military garrison for the disputed听听Sea听state media said on Sunday, in a move which could further boost tensions in already fractious region.
听has a substantial military presence in the听听Sea听and the move is essentially a further assertion of its sovereignty claims after it last month upped the administrative status of the seas to the level of a city, which it calls Sansha.
The official Xinhua news agency said the听听would be responsible for "national defense mobilisation ... guarding the city and supporting local emergency rescue and disaster relief" and "carrying out military missions".
It provided no further details.
Sansha city is based on what is known in English as Woody Island, part of the听also claimed by听听and听.听听took full control of the Paracels in 1974 after a naval showdown with听.
Though Sansha's permanent population is no more than a few thousand, mostly fishermen, its administrative responsibility covers听's vast claims in the听听Sea听and its myriad mostly uninhabited atolls and reefs.
The听听said听听had protested against the Chinese decision. It cited a month-old statement by a senior official that the designation of "the so-called Sansha city" was illegal and overlapped with districts听听identified as its own.
Earlier this month, hundreds of Vietnamese demonstrated in听听against听's establishment of Sansha city and its invitation to oil firms to bid for blocks in offshore areas that听claims as its territory.
The听听Sea听has become听's biggest potential military flashpoint as听's sovereignty claim over the huge area has set it against听听and the听听as the three countries race to tap possibly huge oil reserves
Southeast Asian states sought to save face on Friday with a call for restraint and dialogue over the听听Sea, but made no progress in healing a deep divide about how to respond to's growing assertiveness in the disputed waters. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Wan Xu in听听and听听newsroom; Editing by Ron Popeski)