Raising the ante in
the disputed South China Sea, China on Tuesday announced setting up of
an establishment in its newest city on a small island that is also
claimed by Vietnam.
Beijing announced the formation
of the new city Sansha and elected Xiao Jie (51) as its first mayor on
the island. China's Central Television aired the ceremony of formal
takeover by the new mayor live. The step comes close on the heels of the
country's powerful Central Military Authority approving the deployment
of the military garrison in the new town, which is 13 hours by boat from
the mainland. China has also docked four surveillance naval ships off
the Sansha's coast to patrol the South China Sea. In speeches, the new
mayor and other top party officials trumpeted Sansha's important role in
protecting China's sovereignty. The State Council, or China's cabinet,
in June approved the establishment of Sansha, a prefectural-level city
in South China's Hainan province to administer the Xisha, Zhongsha and
Nansha islands and the surrounding waters in the South China Sea
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