Sansha 三沙市 | |
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 City Hall of Sansha | |
  Sansha | |
| Coordinates (Sansha municipal government):16°49′52″N112°20′19″E / 16.8310°N 112.3386°E /16.8310; 112.3386 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hainan |
| Prefecture-level city established | 24 July 2012[1] |
| City seat | Yongxing Island (Woody Island) |
| Government | |
| • CCP Secretary | Yuan Guangping (袁光平) |
| • Congress Chairperson | Wang Changren (王长仁) |
| • Mayor | Deng Zhong (邓忠) |
| Area | |
| • Land | <13 km2 (<5 sq mi) |
| • Water | ~2,000,000 km2 (~772,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2013)[2] | |
• Total | 1,443 |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (China Standard Time) |
| Postal code | 573100 |
| Website | www.sansha.gov.cn |
| Territorial Dispute: There are on-going territorial disputes in the entire area covered by the city, whose administrative authority is not internationally recognized. | |
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 "Sansha", as written in Chinese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 三沙 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Sānshā | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Samsha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | three sands (referring to the Chinese names for the three island groups) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sansha City (Chinese:三沙市;pinyin:Sānshā Shì) is aprefecture-level city under theHainan province of thePeople's Republic of China (PRC), and is the southernmost and least populated prefecture in China by far, with the smallestland area but the largestmaritime territory.[a] The city'sseat is located onYongxing Island in theSouth China Sea, and administers (actually or nominally) severalisland groups,atolls,seamounts and a number of other ungrouped maritime features within thenine-dash line,[3] although the PRC'sde facto control over the area varies. The name "Sansha", literally meaning "three sands", refers to the three archipelagodistricts ofXisha (Chinese:西沙;lit. 'west sand'),Zhongsha (Chinese:中沙;lit. 'central sand') andNansha (Chinese:南沙;lit. 'south sand').
Sansha was created on 24 July 2012,[4] and administers a group of 260 islands, reefs and beaches located in theSpratly Islands (Nansha),Paracel Islands (Xisha), andMacclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands).[5] Reports in theChina Daily stated that the establishment of Sansha was simply an upgrade of itsadministrative status from the previouscounty-level administration toprefecture-level.[3] Subsequent developments have turned Sansha City (located onXisha District'sYongxing Island) into a small town with over 1,400 residents, with adual-use airport that has a 2,700 metres (3,000 yd) runway and two artificialharbors capable of dockingsea vessels up to 5,000 tonnes.[6][7]
Due toterritorial disputes in the South China Sea,[8][9] foreign reaction to the city's establishment was not positive. TheUnited States Department of State called the change in the administrative status "unilateral", and the move has received criticism from nations engaged in the South China Sea dispute, particularly thePhilippines as well asVietnam and theRepublic of China (ROC, Taiwan), with the latter two claiming the island.[10]
In March 1953, as talks were proceeding with the French on the handing over of Hainan and territories south ofGuangdong to thePeople's Republic of China, the ChineseState Council authorized the establishment of a separate "Guangdong Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority" as acounty-level administrative division on Woody Island (Yongxing Dao). However, the island continued to support a threadbare population of fisherfolk at that time.[11] In March 1959, this authority was upgraded to an administrative office in the name of "Guangdong Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Revolutionary Committee".[11] In October 1984, the administration of Sansha consisting of Yongxing Dao (Woody Island) and other islands in the South China sea was transferred toHainan. This coincided with the establishment of Hainan as a separate administrative region. In September 1988, the authority's name was officially changed to the "Hainan Province Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority". On 25 December 2006, Woody Island 'census-town's' first-ever "Residents' and Fishermen's Congress" was held. Three representatives at the township and village levels were selected to represent the census-town's Neighborhood Committee of the North and South Villages. The Neighborhood Committee began work on Woody Island the following day with an office at the Border Guards of the Paracels' Police Station. These were the first ever actual subdivisions created within the county-level authority.[11]
The prospect of the establishment of a "city" on Woody Island was first publicized on 19 November 2007 in a report byMingpao, a Hong Kong-based newspaper, through a telephone interview with a Mr. Zhang of the Propaganda Department ofWenchang, Hainan. This report claimed that acounty-level city was to be established by thePRC State Council in November 2007 to administer three disputedarchipelagos in the South China Sea:[12] the Paracel Islands, Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands) and the Spratly Islands. This was to replace the county-level "Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Authority". The city of Wenchang would provide[vague] supplies and logistics to the to-be-established city.
On 23 July 2012, the PRCCentral Military Commission announced it had authorized thePeople's Liberation Army Guangzhou Military Command to form a "garrison command" in Sansha City. The troops would be responsible for managing the city's national defence mobilisation, military reserve, and carrying out military operations.[13]
On 24 July 2012, the PRC officially established the city of Sansha in Yongxing Island.[4]
Sansha City has two districts, Xisha District and Nansha District. Xisha District administers the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands and their surrounding waters, with the district government located on Yongxing Town. Nansha District administers the Nansha Islands and their surrounding waters, with the district government located onYongshu Jiao.
Sansha is governed by a municipal congress of 60 delegates directly elected, with a standing committee of 15 members.[14] It is further subdivided into 2districts at county-level, 3towns/management committees at the township-level, and further into 11residential communities at village-level, based on the island groups:
| Division code[15] County-level divisions | Township-level divisions | Village-level divisions | Location of the major claimed islands in theSansha administrative area of China. Legend：
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 460302[16] Xisha District 西沙区 Xīshā Qū District seat: Yongxing town MA | Yongxing Town Management Area 永兴镇管理区 Yǒngxìng Zhèn Guǎnlǐqū | Yongxing Residential Community永兴社区Yǒngxìng Shèqū | ||
| Yingqu Residential Community营区社区Yíngqū Shèqū | ||||
| Qilianyu Management Area 七连屿管理区 Qīliányǔ Guǎnlǐqū | Beidao Residential Community北岛社区Běidǎo Shèqū | |||
| Zhaoshu Residential Community赵述社区Zhàoshù Shèqū | ||||
| Yonglequndao Management Area 永乐群岛管理区 Yǒnglè Qúndǎo Guǎnlǐqū | Jinqing Residential Community晋卿社区Jìnqīng Shèqū | |||
| Yinyu Residential Community银屿社区Yínyǔ Shèqū | ||||
| Lingyang Residential Community羚羊社区Língyáng Shèqū | ||||
| Ganquan Residential Community甘泉社区Gānquán Shèqū | ||||
| Yagong Residential Community鸭公社区Yāgōng Shèqū | ||||
| (under Xisha) | Zhongsha Islands 中沙群岛的岛礁及其海域 Zhōngshā Qúndǎo De Dǎojiāo Jíqí Hǎiyù District seat: Huangyan | (under Xisha)Huangyan黄岩Huángyán | ||
| (under Xisha)Zhongsha Bank中沙大环礁Zhōngshā Dàhuán Jiāo | ||||
| 460303 Nansha District 南沙区 Nánshā Qū District seat: Nansha MA | Nansha Management Area 南沙管理区 Nánshā Guǎnlǐqū | Yongshu Residential Community永暑社区Yǒngshǔ Shèqū | ||
| (under Yongshu)Meiji美济Měijì | ||||
| (under Yongshu)Zhubi渚碧Zhǔbì | ||||
| (under Yongshu)Huangyang华阳Huángyáng | ||||
| (under Yongshu)Chigua赤瓜Chìguā | ||||
| (under Yongshu)Nanxun南薰Nánxūn | ||||
| (under Yongshu)Dongmen东门Dōngmén | ||||
| Climate data for Sansha (Xisha District), elevation 5 m (16 ft), (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.4 (79.5) | 27.1 (80.8) | 29.0 (84.2) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.0 (86.0) | 28.6 (83.5) | 26.9 (80.4) | 29.7 (85.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.3 (75.7) | 26.1 (79.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.6 (83.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.3 (81.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.0 (77.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 25.5 (78.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 18.3 (0.72) | 9.4 (0.37) | 17.2 (0.68) | 67.7 (2.67) | 109.4 (4.31) | 102.9 (4.05) | 205.1 (8.07) | 205.5 (8.09) | 251.0 (9.88) | 263.0 (10.35) | 126.2 (4.97) | 69.3 (2.73) | 1,445 (56.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.8 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 8.0 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 12.1 | 15.1 | 17.0 | 13.8 | 13.8 | 119.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 78 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 198.3 | 210.1 | 260.2 | 269.9 | 277.6 | 256.6 | 251.0 | 238.3 | 210.8 | 207.3 | 175.1 | 149.0 | 2,704.2 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 57 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 69 | 65 | 63 | 61 | 58 | 57 | 52 | 43 | 61 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[17][18] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Sansha (Pattle Island), elevation 4 m (13 ft), (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.9 (82.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.1 (89.8) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.3 (86.5) | 28.8 (83.8) | 27.1 (80.8) | 30.4 (86.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.2 (79.2) | 28.1 (82.6) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.3 (82.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.3 (81.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.8 (78.4) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 25.2 (77.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 22.7 (0.89) | 9.9 (0.39) | 13.2 (0.52) | 60.3 (2.37) | 86.8 (3.42) | 91.4 (3.60) | 178.1 (7.01) | 195.7 (7.70) | 240.6 (9.47) | 236.6 (9.31) | 146.9 (5.78) | 86.3 (3.40) | 1,368.5 (53.86) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 8.7 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 14.3 | 16.3 | 14.3 | 14.5 | 116.4 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 80 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 83 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[17][19] | |||||||||||||
The Sansha city has aregistered population of 621 (as per 2020)[20] and a resident population of around 1,800, in addition to an unknown number of military garrison personnels. They tend to practice fishing, and selling products to the occasional cruise ship (MV Qionghai 3 andMV Sansha 1) whose tourists visit the island. In November 2016, the Hainan government started to allow large companies to register themselves in Sansha, by providing extensivetax benefits to them. This resulted in 157 large national and multinational companies registering themselves in Sansha.[21]
In 2016, agovernment school and apublic library were opened in the island, primarily for children of the islanders.[22][23] In the same year, adesalinating plant was established to provide drinking water to the island's residents.[24]
Airports are built on several islands under Sansha City, includingYongxing Island,Meiji Island,Yongshu Island andZhubi Island, all of which have runways longer than 2,700 metres (3,000 yd) and are suitable for planes sizing up to 4E standards, theoretically capable of landingBoeing 777s asdiversion airports. In practice, only theYongxing Island Airport see scheduled commercial services, onboardBoeing 737 operated byHainan Airlines.[25] The other airports are for military use only.
The second stage of a greening project for Sansha was announced on 30 June 2014.[26] It states: "According to the investment plan, 18 million yuan (about 2.92 million U.S. dollars) will be used to build desalination systems and grow trees on Xishazhou Island (West Sand - NW Crescent Group) in the hope of turning the island into a new oasis." The article makes references to the greening of:
It also mentions substantial infrastructure upgrades to Woody Island, including waste-water treatment, garbage aggregation and treatment, desalination (1 million litres/day) and upgrades to photovoltaic equipment.
Because Sansha's jurisdiction comprises island groups that several nations besides the PRC claim as their own, the "city" is considered by some as controversial.
In 2007, the Foreign Ministry ofVietnam protested against the city's proposed establishment, which had been recently[27] approved by the PRC's State Council, as Vietnam claims two of the three island groups that comprise Sansha.[28] This was later followed by student demonstrations at the Chinese embassy inHanoi, and at a consulate inHo Chi Minh City.[29]
Days prior to the official establishment of the city in late July 2012,[4] Vietnam again stated its opposition and was joined in its protests by thePhilippines.[30] The United States Department of State also weighed in on the issue stating, "we remain concerned should there be any unilateral moves of this kind that would seem to prejudge an issue."[31] The chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee,Jim Webb, also made a statement regarding Sansha and questioned whether the city's creation was a violation of international law.[32] While Senator Webb stated that the establishment of Sansha was China "creating a governmental system out of nothing",[32] the Chinese government has included the island groups that comprise Sansha in its administrative structure since 1959.[33] Before these island groups were under the nominal administration of Sansha, they were nominally administered by an administrative office under the provincial government ofHainan.[34]
Western reaction to the 2012 declaration of the Chinese government elevating the administrative status of Sansha was not positive. TheUnited States Department of State called the change in the administrative status of the territory "unilateral", and the move has received criticism from nations engaged in theSouth China Sea dispute, particularly thePhilippines andVietnam.[10]
The centre of government for Sansha is located onWoody Island (Yongxing Dao) in the Paracels,[34] where about 1,000 Chinese (PRC) reside.[7] With a land area of 210ha, Woody Island is the largest contiguous land area in theSouth China Sea.[35] The total land area of Sansha, which includes the islands in the Paracel and Spratly groups, is less than 5 square miles (13 km2).[36] Nationally, Sansha is the smallest prefecture-level city, by both population and land area, but the largest by total area,[37] and is also the southernmost prefecture-level city of the PRC.
By January 2016, work was well advanced on developing a military base with a large harbour and a 2,644 metres (8,675 ft) runway, with the reclaimed land covering 558 hectares (1,380 acres).[38] A civilian test flight to the runway was conducted by a China Southern Airlines passenger jet on 13 July 2016.[39] On 16 February 2016, the New York Times reported that China had deployedHQ‑9 surface‑to‑air missiles on the island.[40]
In late 2016, photographs emerged which suggested that Mischief Reef was armed with anti-aircraft weapons and aCIWS missile-defence system.[41] In May 2018, theCentre for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank, said satellite images showed China had deployed new military weapon platforms to Woody Island, the largest of the Paracels.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Pratas Island | |||||||||||||||||
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