China Build Underwater Observation in Disputed South China Sea

Military use is only one part of the planned use of the system, a Chinese military analyst said.

China has approved a plan to build an underwater observation network across the disputed East and South China seas, in yet another provocation to Beijing’s neighbours.

China will invest two billion yuan (US $292 million) to build the network, which will be capable of all-weather and real time HD multi-interface observation from the seabed to the surface of the water, reported China Central Television (CCTV) as saying.

While China claims its sovereignty over the Senkaku islands held by Japan, it also has claims over all of South China Sea (SCS) which is counter-claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan.

China is engaged in a hotly contested territorial dispute in South China Sea (SCS). Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea – parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, and Taiwan.

China has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

The areas were stated to be rich minerals, oil, and other natural resources.

The underwater observation network will serve as a scientific research platform which can provide long-term and continuous data to research on the marine environment under the sea, the CCTV report said.

Some foreign countries will link the underwater system with a military facility and exaggerate its military usage given its geographical location.

Li Jie, Beijing-based Navy Expert

"Military use is only one part of the planned use of the system, but civilian uses will have a much wider and diversified scope in the future," Liu Jiangping, another military analyst said.

A data centre will be built in Shanghai near the coast to monitor the observation network and to store and manage the data captured.

It can promote frontier research in fields such as earth systems and climate change, and meet the country’s comprehensive demand to monitor the marine environment, prevent disasters, and protect national security and interests, the report said.

"However, if foreign submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles enter Chinese waters, China is obligated to use data gathered from the underwater network to identify, detect or even drive away those vehicles to protect the security of China’s territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and the country’s sovereignty," Liu said.

The project is slated to be completed within five years.