Chinese scientists working to protect coral reefs have begun using new technical guidelines issued by the South China Sea Ecological Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The guidelines, which outline standards for the use of environmental DNA (eDNA), are seen as a major step forward in China's ability to monitor coral reef biodiversity and provide early warnings about harmful organisms.
Coral reefs are under severe threat from global warming, periodic outbreaks of the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish, and human activities, resulting in large-scale coral mortality, bleaching, and habitat degradation. This underscores the urgent need for more efficient and precise monitoring and early warning methods.
The new technical guidelines are the first to systematically apply environmental DNA, or eDNA, technology to coral reef ecological monitoring in the South China Sea. By collecting biological DNA fragments from seawater, researchers can quickly identify coral species and the distribution of invasive crown-of-thorns starfish, significantly improving monitoring efficiency and coverage.
"The implementation of these standards provides a new, highly efficient technological option for coral reef monitoring, which is of great significance for assessing coral reef biodiversity and ecological health. Moving forward, we will continue to conduct research on coral reef biodiversity trends in the South China Sea using eDNA technology, further improve the genetic database, optimize the early warning for crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and promote a standardized application of the technology to strengthen the ecological security of the South China Sea," said Zheng Chengzhi, an engineer at the South China Sea Ecological Center under China's Ministry of Natural Resources.
Since pilot testing began in 2022, the South China Sea Ecological Center has established a preliminary genetic database and developed a risk assessment method for crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, enabling the precise identification of high-risk areas. The new guidelines offer unified and reliable technical standards for eDNA-based early warning and monitoring efforts across the country.
China enhances coral reef monitoring with new technology
Japanese scholars and officials, including former Prime Minster Yukio Hatoyama, on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan region and expressed concerns over the deteriorated bilateral ties.
At a Diet meeting on Nov 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which has immediately sparked strong criticism inside Japan.
The scholars voiced their concerns at an academic exchange meeting held by the International Academic Society for Asian Community (ISAC) in Tokyo, where over 100 representatives from Japanese political, academic, and economic circles held discussions on the current international situation and China-Japan relations.
In his keynote speech, Hatoyama said that Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan region fundamentally deviated from international law and the spirit of the 1972 China-Japan Joint Communique.
"According to the China-Japan Joint Communique, the Potsdam Declaration, and the Cairo Declaration, Japan further reaffirmed its position that Taiwan is Chinese territory. Therefore, the Taiwan question is China's internal affair. Furthermore, the China-Japan Joint Communique also established the principle of non-interference in China's internal affairs. But against this backdrop, however, Takaichi made the related remarks," he said.
Participants of the academic meeting said that Takaichi's erroneous remarks damaged the relations between China and Japan and should be retracted.
"As an academic organization dedicated to the study of peace and security in East Asia, we are deeply concerned about the sharp deterioration in Japan-China relations caused by Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks in the Diet, which related Taiwan question to a 'survival-threatening situation' for Japan," said Eiichi Shindo, ISAC president and a professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba.
"After the war, Japan and China reached many political agreements, but now it is Japan that unilaterally violates these rules and agreements. This is highly problematic, and I feel very sorry about it. Japan-China relations are deteriorating on multiple levels, and obviously it is Japan that has caused such a situation. (Takaichi's) remarks definitely crossed the line, and I believe they should be retracted," said Akira Kimura, a professor emeritus at the Kagoshima University.
Following the event, Hatoyama told China Media Group (CMG) that he was deeply concerned that Takaichi's remarks had worsened China-Japan relations.
"Prime Minister Takaichi made remarks about Taiwan question, claiming it would constitute a 'survival-threatening situation' for Japan. In my view, this was less a rash statement and more a deliberate declaration, which is regrettable. I am deeply concerned that the situation will worsen if measures are not taken quickly. This has plunged Japan-China relations into a very serious situation. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, and Japan should not interfere," said Hatoyama.
Former Japanese PM, scholars criticize Takaichi’s erroneous remarks
