China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) on Tuesday hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of two lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef of China's Nansha Islands.
In order to enhance the civil aids to navigation capacity in the waters of Nansha Islands, the MOT plans to construct two multi-functional lighthouses, which will provide efficient navigation service to the passing vessels and "immensely improve the navigation safety" in the South China Sea, according to a statement from the MOT.
Integrated with elements of traditional Chinese culture, the two 50-meter-high lighthouses, with lanterns of 4.5 meters in diameter, are designed to have a light range of 22 nautical miles.
The South China Sea is an important international maritime transport route as well as a major fishing ground. A large number of fishing vessels operate in this area all year round, which has led to many maritime traffic accidents.
Lighthouses are vital public facilities for navigation safety, and are usually constructed at key ports and critical positions of waterways to provide navigation service for vessels or indicate dangerous areas through refraction from the lens on the top.
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Construction on Nansha Islands serves military, civilian purposes
Infrastructure projects on the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea will serve both military and civilian purposes, said a defense ministry spokesperson Tuesday.
While the projects have some basic defense functions, they will be used for a variety of civilian purposes and enable China to better exercise its international responsibility in areas such as maritime rescue and search, natural disaster relief, scientific research, meteorological service, environmental protection, navigation safety protection and service for fishing industry, said Yang Yujun, the ministry spokesperson, at a press conference.
The infrastructure projects not only benefit China but also the international community, he said.
Yang also stressed the development is within China's sovereignty.
"In terms of sovereignty, these projects on the Nansha Islands are not different from any other projects on Chinese territory," he said.
