China's announcement about marking its territorial sea around Huangyan Dao, an atoll in the South China Sea, is a natural and appropriate step in the country's consistent safeguarding of its territorial integrity and its commitment to dialogue, said a Chinese researcher.
The Chinese government on Sunday issued a statement regarding the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao.
A foreign ministry spokesperson said later on Sunday that the island has always been China's territory, stressing that the territorial delimitations were made in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone.
During a China Global Television Network (CGTN) program, Rong Ying, a senior research fellow at China Institute of International Studies, said that the announcement reflects the country's long-held position and its continued efforts to improve administrative efficiency in the South China Sea.
"Huangyan Dao has been an integral part of China's territory. So this is only natural, justifiable, reasonable and appropriate for China to release at a time appropriate the baselines and base points of the territory waters of Huangyan Dao. So that announcement and, of course, the implementation of Chinese petitions, will help the relevant institutions to implement, to enforce the necessary steps in terms of better management," said Rong.
Also on Sunday, the China Coast Guard said that it will continuously strengthen patrols and law enforcement in territorial waters off Huangyan Dao and relevant waters, as the atoll is an inherent part of China's territory.
However, according to Rong, cooperation and dialogue remain the primary means of resolving tensions in the South China Sea.
"China has always maintained a kind of consultation and dialogue for managing and resolving territorial disputes, any disputes with any countries. But in the meantime, China has made it very clear and has been very resolute in safeguarding its legitimate rights and territorial integrity. And on the question of South China Sea, again, I think China's very clear is ready to talk with relevant parties to address, to manage the territorial disputes. So I think it is very clear that cooperation will benefit everybody. Confrontation, everybody is going to lose," he said.
China's delimitations around South China Sea island reasonable, appropriate: expert
The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) debuted a smart farm designed for ship applications at the Marintec China 2025, the world's largest maritime exhibition held in Shanghai this week.
Featuring a "vegetable-mushroom symbiosis" system, the shipboard hybrid smart cultivation facility enables year-round cultivation of edible fungi, vegetables and fruits.
"By letting vegetables absorb carbon dioxide and mushrooms release it, the system allows both to grow in the same chamber and forms an efficient air-circulation loop inside a sealed space. This smart idea cuts the heavy energy use that normally comes from big temperature differences at sea and the constant need for ventilation on ships," said Chang Yu, vice president of CSSC International Engineering Company.
Boasting pesticide-free cultivation, the facility can grow over 120 varieties of mushrooms, vegetables and fruits, ensuring both product diversity and high standards of safety, cleanliness and quality.
It also marks a significant improvement in efficiency. The current global energy consumption level among similar products stands at approximately 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilogram of vegetables produced, but the innovative Chinese product can use less than 6 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of vegetables.
"Using roughly 30 kilowatt-hours a day, it can grow about five kilograms of lettuce and five kilograms of mushrooms. That means the real energy cost is only about three kilowatt-hours per kilogram, far lower than the current global standard," Chang said.
This marine intelligent farm has drawn crowds of visitors at the exhibition, including shipowners who are already in talks about installing the system on their vessels.
"This is the solution. [There's] no need to bring food for a long time. The crew can get instantly the fresh food. This is fresh food not only good for health, this is for their mental refreshment," said ABM Zahidul Islam, chairman of Water Birds Limited, a thermoplastic piping manufacturer in Bangladesh.
This new product will overcome barriers related to geography, climate and resources, also serving as a source of fresh, healthy vegetables for residents of water-scarce islands and arid inland regions.
"As part of the world's largest shipbuilding group, we draw on CSSC's strengths in equipment development and system integration to serve the global maritime sector. Our original intention in developing this was simple: to put people first. Through technological innovation, we hope to improve lives and make the 'green' that once seemed out of reach on the ocean dining table truly within reach," said Yang Wenwu, chairman of CSSC International Engineering Company.
As a crucial platform to gather global innovation resources and promote decarbonization in the maritime industry, this year's Marintech China ran from Tuesday to Friday, attracting over 2,200 enterprises from 16 countries and regions.
China unveils smart shipboard farm to supply offshore workers with fresh produce
