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{{use dmy dates|date=July 2012}} |
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2012}} |
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{{Infobox settlement |
{{Infobox settlement |
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|name = Sansha |
|name = Sansha |
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|official_name = 三沙市 · Sansha City |
|official_name = 三沙市 · Sansha City |
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|settlement_type = [[Prefecture-level city]] |
|settlement_type = [[Prefecture-level city]] |
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|nickname = |
|nickname = |
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|motto = |
|motto = |
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|image_skyline = |
|image_skyline = |
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|imagesize = |
|imagesize = |
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|image_caption = |
|image_caption = |
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|image_flag = |
|image_flag = |
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|flag_size = |
|flag_size = |
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|image_seal = |
|image_seal = |
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|seal_size = |
|seal_size = |
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|image_shield = |
|image_shield = |
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|shield_size = |
|shield_size = |
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|image_blank_emblem = |
|image_blank_emblem = |
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|blank_emblem_size = |
|blank_emblem_size = |
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|image_map = Spratly & Paracel Islands.gif |
|image_map = Spratly & Paracel Islands.gif |
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|mapsize = |
|mapsize = |
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|map_caption = |
|map_caption = |
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|image_map1 = |
|image_map1 = |
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|mapsize1 = |
|mapsize1 = |
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|map_caption1 = |
|map_caption1 = |
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|pushpin_map = South China Sea |
|pushpin_map = South China Sea |
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|pushpin_map_caption = Location of the prefectural seat |
|pushpin_map_caption = Location of the prefectural seat |
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|pushpin_label_position = |
|pushpin_label_position = |
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|pushpin_mapsize = |
|pushpin_mapsize = |
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|coordinates_region = CN-46 |
|coordinates_region = CN-46 |
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|subdivision_type = Country |
|subdivision_type = Country |
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|subdivision_name = |
|subdivision_name = {{CHN}} |
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|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of China|Province]] |
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of China|Province]] |
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|subdivision_name1 = [[Hainan]] |
|subdivision_name1 = [[Hainan]] |
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|subdivision_type2 = |
|subdivision_type2 = |
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|subdivision_name2 = |
|subdivision_name2 = |
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|seat_type = City seat |
|seat_type = City seat |
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|seat = [[Woody Island, South China Sea|Yongxing Island]] |
|seat = [[Woody Island, South China Sea|Yongxing Island]] |
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|government_type = |
|government_type = |
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|leader_title = [[Communist Party of China|CPC]] Municipal Party Secretary |
|leader_title = [[Communist Party of China|CPC]] Municipal Party Secretary |
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|leader_name = [[Fu Zhuang]] (符戆) |
|leader_name = [[Fu Zhuang]] (符戆) |
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|established_title = [[Prefecture-level city]] |
|established_title = [[Prefecture-level city]] |
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|established_date = 24 July 2012 (UTC+8) |
|established_date = 24 July 2012 (UTC+8) |
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|area_magnitude = |
|area_magnitude = |
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|unit_pref =<!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> |
|unit_pref = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> |
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|area_footnotes = |
|area_footnotes = |
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|area_total_km2 = |
|area_total_km2 = |
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|area_land_km2 = 13 |
|area_land_km2 = 13 |
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|area_water_km2 = ~2000000 |
|area_water_km2 = ~2000000 |
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|area_total_sq_mi = |
|area_total_sq_mi = |
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|area_land_sq_mi = |
|area_land_sq_mi = |
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|area_water_sq_mi = ~772000 |
|area_water_sq_mi = ~772000 |
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|area_water_percent = |
|area_water_percent = |
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|area_urban_km2 = |
|area_urban_km2 = |
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|area_urban_sq_mi = |
|area_urban_sq_mi = |
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|area_metro_km2 = |
|area_metro_km2 = |
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|area_metro_sq_mi = |
|area_metro_sq_mi = |
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|population_as_of = [[Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China|2010 Census]] |
|population_as_of = [[Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China|2010 Census]] |
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|population_footnotes = |
|population_footnotes = |
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|population_note = |
|population_note = |
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|population_total = 444 |
|population_total = 444 |
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|pop_est_as_of = 2012<ref name="chr"/> |
|pop_est_as_of = 2012<ref name="chr"/> |
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|population_est = 1000 |
|population_est = 1000 |
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|population_density_km2 = auto |
|population_density_km2 = auto |
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|population_metro = |
|population_metro = |
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|population_density_metro_km2 = |
|population_density_metro_km2 = |
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|population_urban = |
|population_urban = |
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|population_density_urban_km2 =34.15 |
|population_density_urban_km2 = 34.15 |
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|demographics_type1 = |
|demographics_type1 = |
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|demographics1_title1 = |
|demographics1_title1 = |
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|timezone = China Standard Time |
|timezone = China Standard Time |
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|utc_offset = +8 |
|utc_offset = +8 |
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|latd= 16|latm= 50|lats= 03|latNS=N |
|latd = 16 |
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|latm = 50 |
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|lats = 03 |
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|latNS = N |
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|longd=112|longm=20|longs=15|longEW=E |
|longd = 112 |
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|longm = 20 |
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|longs = 15 |
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|longEW = E |
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|elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |
|elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |
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|elevation_m = |
|elevation_m = |
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|elevation_ft = |
|elevation_ft = |
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|postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in China|Postal code]] |
|postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in China|Postal code]] |
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|postal_code = 573100 |
|postal_code = 573100 |
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|area_code = |
|area_code = |
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|website = |
|website = |
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|footnotes = '''Territorial Dispute''': There are on-going territorial disputes in the entire area covered by the city, whose administrative authority is not internationally recognized. |
|footnotes = '''Territorial Dispute''': There are on-going territorial disputes in the entire area covered by the city, whose administrative authority is not internationally recognized. |
||
}} |
}} |
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{{Chinese |
{{Chinese |
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|title=Sansha |
|title = Sansha |
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|c={{linktext|三|沙}} |
|c = {{linktext|三|沙}} |
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|p=Sānshā |
|p = Sānshā |
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|j=saam<sup>1</sup>saa<sup>1</sup> |
|j = saam<sup>1</sup>saa<sup>1</sup> |
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|y=Sāamsā |
|y = Sāamsā |
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|wuu=sae<sup>1</sup>so<sup>1</sup> |
|wuu = sae<sup>1</sup>so<sup>1</sup> |
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|poj=sam-sua |
|poj = sam-sua |
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|vie=Tam Sa |
|vie = Tam Sa |
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|l=three sands (referring to the Chinese names for the three island groups) |
|l = three sands (referring to the Chinese names for the three island groups) |
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|showflag=p}} |
|showflag = p |
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}} |
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'''Sansha''' ({{zh|c=三沙}}) is a [[prefecture-level city]] under [[Hainan]] province of |
'''Sansha''' ({{zh|c=三沙}}) is a [[prefecture-level city]] under [[Hainan]] province of [[China]]. It was created on 24 July 2012<ref name="xinhuaen0" /> to administer (actually or nominally) several island groups and undersea atolls in the [[South China Sea]], comprising the [[Spratly Islands|Spratly]] and [[Paracel Islands]] as well as the [[Macclesfield Bank]].<ref name="SanshaRectified">{{cite web|url=http://english.sina.com/china/2012/0621/479131.html|title=China sets up Sansha City to administer South China Sea islands|publisher=[[Sina]]|date=June 21, 2012|accessdate=June 21, 2012}}</ref> The entire territory of the city is disputed, and China's ''[[de facto]]'' control over this area varies. |
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The establishment of Sansha is simply an upgrade of the administrative status of these island groups from the previous county-level Administrative Office,<ref name="SanshaRectified"/> and construction of a "city" is not actually underway. A new [[garrison]] was also established.<ref name="garrison">{{cite web | url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-07/27/content_15622435.htm | title=Sansha garrison | publisher=China Daily | date=27.7.2012 | accessdate=August 15, 2012}}</ref><ref name=hawkishreuters/> The [[US State Department]] called the change in the administrative status of the territory "[[Unilateralism|unilateral]]", and the move has received criticism from two nations engaged in the [[South China Sea dispute]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Vietnam]]. |
The establishment of Sansha is simply an upgrade of the administrative status of these island groups from the previous county-level Administrative Office,<ref name="SanshaRectified"/> and construction of a "city" is not actually underway. A new [[garrison]] was also established.<ref name="garrison">{{cite web | url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-07/27/content_15622435.htm | title=Sansha garrison | publisher=China Daily | date=27.7.2012 | accessdate=August 15, 2012}}</ref><ref name=hawkishreuters/> The [[US State Department]] called the change in the administrative status of the territory "[[Unilateralism|unilateral]]", and the move has received criticism from two nations engaged in the [[South China Sea dispute]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Vietnam]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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{{Portal|China|People's Republic of China}} |
{{Portal|China|People's Republic of China}} |
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⚫ | |||
* [[South China Sea Islands]] |
* [[South China Sea Islands]] |
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** [[ |
** [[James Shoal]] |
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⚫ | |||
** [[Macclesfield Bank]] |
** [[Macclesfield Bank]] |
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⚫ | |||
** [[Scarborough Shoal]] |
** [[Scarborough Shoal]] |
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** [[ |
** [[Spratly Islands]] |
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* [[Territorial disputes in the South China Sea]] |
* [[Territorial disputes in the South China Sea]] |
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⚫ | |||
==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 11:10, 24 August 2012
Sansha
三沙 | |
---|---|
三沙市 · Sansha City | |
![]() | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Hainan |
Prefecture-level city | 24 July 2012 (UTC+8) |
City seat | Yongxing Island |
Government | |
• CPC Municipal Party Secretary | Fu Zhuang (符戆) |
• Mayor | Xiao Jie (肖杰) |
Area | |
• Land | 13 km2 (5 sq mi) |
• Water | ~2,000,000 km2 (~772,000 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 444 |
• Estimate (2012[1]) | 1,000 |
• Urban density | 34.15/km2 (88.4/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard Time) |
Postal code | 573100 |
Territorial Dispute: There are on-going territorial disputes in the entire area covered by the city, whose administrative authority is not internationally recognized. |
Sansha | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 三沙 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hanyu Pinyin | Sānshā | ||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | three sands (referring to the Chinese names for the three island groups) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese | Tam Sa |
Sansha (Chinese: 三沙) is a prefecture-level city under Hainan province of China. It was created on 24 July 2012[2] to administer (actually or nominally) several island groups and undersea atolls in the South China Sea, comprising the Spratly and Paracel Islands as well as the Macclesfield Bank.[3] The entire territory of the city is disputed, and China's de facto control over this area varies.
The establishment of Sansha is simply an upgrade of the administrative status of these island groups from the previous county-level Administrative Office,[3] and construction of a "city" is not actually underway. A new garrison was also established.[4][5] The US State Department called the change in the administrative status of the territory "unilateral", and the move has received criticism from two nations engaged in the South China Sea dispute, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The centre of government for Sansha is located on Yongxing (Woody) Island in the Paracels,[6] on which some 600 Chinese civilians currently live.[5] Woody Island is the largest of the islands in the Paracel and Spratly groups with an area of about 5 square miles (13 km2)*.[7] Nationally, Sansha is the smallest prefecture-level city by both population and land area but the largest by water area[1] and the southernmost.
Administrative divisions
Sansha is governed by a municipal congress of 60 delegates directly elected, with a standing committee of 15 members.[8] It is further subdivided into 3 towns at the township level (4th-level subdivision), based on the island groups:
- The Paracels or Xisha Islands - "The West-sands" - Town code: 469037
- Governed by the Yongxing Dao Neighborhood Committee at Woody Island.
- Effectively maintains control over all the features of the Paracels.[citation needed]
- The Macclesfield Bank or Zhongsha Islands - "The Middle-sands" - Town code: 469039
- Governed by the Zhongsha Dao and Jiao Neighborhood Committee.
- Does not have actual control of this area.[citation needed]
- The Spratlys or Nansha Islands - "The South-sands" - Town code: 469038
- Governed by the Yongshu Jiao Neighborhood Committee at Fiery Cross Reef.
- Has actual control over 9 features and James Shoal.[citation needed]
History
Given approval by the State Council on 24 March 1953,[citation needed] the "Guangdong Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority" was established as a county-level administrative division on Yongxing (Woody) Island, the largest in area among the disputed South China Sea Islands. During the Cultural Revolution, when Revolutionary Committees were being set up across the country, it was upgraded to the "Guangdong Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Revolutionary Committee" on the 4 March 1969. On the 22 October 1981 the original Authority was restored. Administration was transferred to Hainan on National Day, 1984, when the Hainan Administrative Region was established, followed by the establishment of Hainan Province on the 13 April 1988. On 19 September 1988,[citation needed] it was officially changed to the "Hainan Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority". On 25 December 2006, Woody Island census-town's first-ever Residents' and Fishers' Congress was held. three representatives at the township and village levels were selected to represent the census-town's Neighborhood Committee of the North and South Villages. The Neighborhood Committee began work on Woody Island the following day with an office at the Border Guards of the Paracels' Police Station. They were the first ever actual subdivisions created within the county-level authority.
The prospect of the establishment of a "city" on Woody Island was first mooted on 19 November 2007 in a report by Mingpao, a Hong Kong-based newspaper, through a telephone interview with a Mr. Zhang of the Propaganda Department of Wenchang, Hainan. This report claimed that a county-level city was to be established by the PRC State Council in November 2007 to administer three disputed archipelagos in the South China Sea[9]: the Paracel Islands, Zhongsha Islands and the Spratly Islands. This was to replace the county-level Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority. That the city of Wenchang would provide supplies and logistics to the to-be-established city. The article also stated that Wenchang's municipal party secretary Xie Wenzhang had announced a similar decision at the municipal congress on the 26 October. It was referred to simply as "City X". The article finally concluded with the possibility of the opening of tourism onto Woody Island as a next step. However, until June 2012 there had been no official announcement of a decision by the Chinese government.
On 23 July 2012 the Chinese Central Military Commission announced it had authorised the People's Liberation Army Guangzhou Military Command to form a "garrison command" in Sansha City. The troops would be responsible for managing the city's national defence mobilisation, military reserves and carrying out military operations.[10]
On 24 July 2012, China officially established the city of Sansha in Yongxing Island.[2]
Controversy
Because Sansha's jurisdiction comprises island groups that several nations besides China claim as their own, the city is considered by some as controversial.
In 2007, the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam protested the city's proposed establishment, which had been recently approved by China's State Council, as Vietnam claims two of the three island groups that comprise Sansha.[11] This was later followed by student demonstrations at the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and a consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.[12]
Days prior to the official establishment of the city in late July of 2012,[2] Vietnam again stated its opposition and was joined in its protests by the Philippines.[13] The United States State Department also weighed in on the issue stating, "we remain concerned should there be any unilateral moves of this kind that would seem to prejudge an issue."[14] The chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, Jim Webb, also made a statement regarding Shasha and questioned whether the city's creation was a violation of international law.[15] While Senator Webb stated that the establishment of Sansha was China "creating a governmental system out of nothing",[15] the Chinese government has included the island groups that comprise Sansha in its administrative structure since 1959.[16] Before these island groups were under the nominal administration of Sansha, they were nominally administered by an administrative office under the provincial government of Hainan.[6]
Facilities
Yongxing (Woody) Island, the seat of Sansha city, includes a small airport, sea port, medical clinic, supermarket, observatory, and post office.[2] A hospital is planned.[2] Woody island is supplied by a freighter which hauls supplies, including drinking water, from Hainan.[17] The small airstrip, Yongxing Island Airport, was completed in July 1990.[18] The runway is either 2,600[18] or 2,700 metres.[19] Some say it is capable of handling People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force aircraft such as the Shenyang J-11BH/S, Chengdu J-10AH/S, and Sukhoi Su-30MKK.[20]
Transportation
There is a road linking Yongxing Island and Shidao Island of Paracels.
There is a common saying in China that traveling abroad is easy compared to a trip to the Paracels[citation needed]. Indeed, before the 1970s, the only means of transportation to and from the islands were by hiring fishers' boats, and even then only Woody Island was accessible, while the rest of the Paracels, the Zhongsha Islands and the Spratlys were only accessible to military personnel. The situation was improved in 1977 with the construction of a freighter given approval by then Premier Zhou Enlai. Having a tonnage of 2160 tonnes and a maximum load of 200 personnel, the "Qiongsha 1" (literally "Hainan-South China Sea Islands 1") freighter carried supplies and personnel to and fro between Woody Island and Hainan Island. In 1997, "Qiongsha 1" was destroyed in a typhoon while en route to Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province for routine maintenance and upkeep. A smaller "Qiongsha 2" freighter at 1410 tonnes and a load of 100 personnel was commissioned that same year. It operated for 10 years, being decommissioned in the January of 2007.
As of 2008, the "lifeboat" of the islands is the "Qiongsha 3" freighter (Tonnage: 2500 tonnes; Load: 200 personnel; Payload: 750 tonnes in cargo; Length: 84 metres; Width: 13.8 metres). This is basically the only means of transportation to and from the islands for non-military personnel (mostly fishers and researchers). Its maiden voyage was on the 10 February 2007, and it has been making regular voyages between Wenchang's Qinglan Port on southeastern Hainan Island and Woody Island in the Paracels roughly every 20 days. A normal trip takes 13 to 15 hours, navigating between dangerous reefs and banks, through a distance of 186 nautical miles (344 km).
Although all of the Paracels have been under China's control since the late 1970s, its strategic military position at the frontiers and its status as a disputed island with several claimants' military personnel nearby, have meant a low priority for the development of tourism. Nevertheless, since 2005, the provincial government of Hainan has instituted a small organising panel to investigate and discuss the possibility of opening up tourism to Woody Island and the rest of the Paracels.
See also
- Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China
- South China Sea Islands
- Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
References
- ^ a b Alexa Olesen (Associated Press) (2012-7-24). "China dubs tiny island new city in sea claim bid". chron.com. Retrieved 2012-7-24.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ a b c d e "China establishes Sansha City". Xinhua. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ a b "China sets up Sansha City to administer South China Sea islands". Sina. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ^ "Sansha garrison". China Daily. 27.7.2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ a b Lague, David (Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:07pm EDT). "China's hawks gaining sway in South China sea dispute". Reuters. Hong Kong. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ a b STIRRING UP THE SOUTH CHINA SEA (II): REGIONAL RESPONSES Asia Report N°229. International Crisis Group. 2012. p. 5. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite conference}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help); Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - ^ [[USA Today, Tiny island in South China Sea is stirring up tensions, Calum MacLeod, 12 July 2012]
- ^ "Sansha goverment". Xinhua Net. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Vietnam, China: The Dispute over Significant Waterways". Free Intelligence Reports. Stratfor. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
- ^ [[BBC News, China Approves Military Garrison, 23 July 2012]
- ^ "Vietnam objects to China's establishment of San Sha city on the Hainan Island: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS' SPOKESMAN - MR. LE DZUNG ANSWERS QUESTION ON 3rd DECEMBER 2007". Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs. undated. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Symon, Andrew (Dec 20, 2007). "China, Vietnam churn diplomatic waters". Asia Times Online. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^
- For Vietnamese stated opposition, see "REFILE-PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - June 22". Reuters. Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:56pm EDT. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - For Philippines stated opposition, see "Philippines summons Chinese ambassador to protest Sansha city". Sina. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- For Vietnamese stated opposition, see "REFILE-PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - June 22". Reuters. Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:56pm EDT. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Nuland, Spokesperson: Daily Press Briefing, Washington, DC, July 24, 2012". www.state.gov. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Senator Webb: China's military and governmental expansion into South China Sea might be a "Violation of International Law"". Senate. July 25,2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "China opposes US statement on S. China Sea". 08-05-2012. CCTV. Retrieved August 07, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ "Nation's newest city takes root in South China Sea". Shanghai Municipal Government. 07.25.2012. Retrieved August 08, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ a b Bernstein, Richard; Munro, Ross H. (1998). The Coming Conflict with China. Vintage Books. p. 74. ISBN 978-0679776628.
- ^ "专家建议造浮岛机场让战机作战半径覆盖南海" (in Chinese). Eastday. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ Chang, Andrei (26 September 2008). "Analysis: China's air-sea buildup". Spacewar.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help)
External links
- Administrative divisions of Hainan Province
- Hainan Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority
- Hainan Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority Woody Island Census Town
- Subdivision Information of the Hainan Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority
- US criticises China garrison