China to build first underwater platform in South China Sea

TIL Desk/World/Beijing-China will build its first long-term underwater observation platform in resource-rich South China Sea, whereit has territorial disputes with many south-east Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The platform aims toobserve underwater conditions in real time.

“Construction work on the long-term observation platform covering key areas in the South China and East China seas will be done with the help of Shanghai’s Tongji University and the Institute of Acoustics,” Wang Pinxian, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said.

Building the observation network showcases that China is actively joining in the international competition, Wang told scientific forum in Shanghai last Saturday. Institute of Acoustics refused to reveal the exact location and further details of the researches on the platform due to its sensitive nature, it said.   China has maritime disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea.