A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
BEIJING (AP) – A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
___
EDITOR’ S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.
___
CHINA OPENS MOVIE THEATER ON DISPUTED ISLAND
China has opened a state-of-the-art movie theater on disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea’s Paracel group in an effort to improve quality of life for the roughly 200 civilians and military personnel on the tiny landmass.
The Yinlong Cinema that opened Saturday is China ’s southernmost permanent standing movie house, according to Chinese media reports. It’s the latest in a series of measures aimed at establishing a more concrete presence in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.
The chairman of the Hainan Media Group, Gu Shaoqing, was quoted in media reports as saying the Yinlong, or “Silver Dragon, ” would show at least one feature daily.
“In this way, island residents can enjoy the same cinema service enjoyed by people in other parts of China, ” Gu was quoted as saying.
The theater can show movies in 3-D and its equipment is portable, allowing it to be transported to other nearby islands as needed.
