According to Xiao, there will be sea plane trips, island weddings, fishing and diving trips for tourists.
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China’s military rejected USA claims on China’s “unsafe” intercept of an American Navy reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, and demanded the US ends such action.
Beijing has already made it clear that it would not allow any discussion of political matters at the summit, indicating that any discussion on South and East China Sea issues would not be tolerated.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest key developments in the South China Sea, home to several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region.
The China Daily report said 65 trips were made past year, with 16,000 passengers journeying to the area. So far, only Chinese nationals have been permitted to travel to the disputed area.
Tourist ships depart from Sanya city in the southern province of Hainan, whose cruise terminal is undergoing a almost $3 billion dollar renovation to become one of the busiest in Asia, the report said. “They also want to have a taste of ocean life”.
So it’s entirely within China’s power to resolve those disputes.
Earlier this month, a popular Chinese singer visited workers and military personnel on Fiery Cross Reef, a man-made islet in the Spratly chain where China has built an airfield and other potential military facilities. China’s increasingly assertive stance in the region has sparked concern from the United States and its Asian allies.
On Wednesday night, Abe met Obama for talks dominated by the arrest of a USA military base civilian worker in connection with the killing of a young woman on Japan’s Okinawa island, reluctant host to the bulk of the U.S. military in Japan.
More than 17,000 tourists have already taken the four-day cruises since the government began running them in 2013, as part of moves to increase civilian presence in the region and strengthen China’s territorial claims.
“The Chinese military aircraft conducted identification and verification in accordance with relevant regulations and rules”, Yang said, rejecting the USA accusations as groundless.
“In essence, the root cause for security hazards and potential accidents in the air and at sea between China and the U.S. is the long term, large-scale and frequent close-in reconnaissance activities against China by the USA military vessels and aircraft”, Yang added.
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US military officials said that at least 80 percent are done by ships, but USA aircraft also conduct flights to challenge excessive airspace claims.
