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Former Lawmaker Suspects China of Constructing Mini Nuclear Plants in Spratly Islands

Friday, April 10, 2015 Edit
While for now no countries will dare to fight China's military superiority (except for the United States),China has been so intensive in putting up their military bases in the disputed waters by constructing artificial island in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) to host its naval and aircraft.

Even lack of legal evidence to support their claim , China continuously builds artificial islands in South China Sea including Johnson South, Cuarteron, Hughes, Gaven and Eldad Reefs .The artificial island built on Cuarteron Reef seemed the largest and recent photographs on the location reveals a much more massive on-going structures believed by experts as a mini-nuclear plants.

An aerial shot of massive structure in Cuarteron Reef (Huayang Jiao)
According to Malaya.net, Congressman Roilo Golez said that he got an information from international sources, in an international conference on East Asia, that China may be building nuclear plants in West Philippine Sea. “I got some info from my international sources that China may be constructing a mini nuclear plant or plants in the Spratlys area since power would a big challenge there to support a military base for fighter planes and frigates.”

“At first I thought that was incredible, but looking at these buildings under construction by China in Cuarteron Reef, I believe a mini nuclear plant is now very probable,” Golez said in a post in his social networking account.

China's Response [Malaya.net]

In a daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterates indisputable sovereignty over Spratly Islands in West Philippine Sea. The spokesperson described the reclamation as “maintenance and construction work.” Hua claims that massive reclamation works in West Philippine Sea undergone “scientific assessments and rigorous tests” and consider the full “protection of ecological environment and fishing resources.”

“The Chinese government has been carrying out maintenance and construction work on some of the garrisoned Nansha islands and reefs with the main purposes of optimizing their functions, improving the living and working conditions of personnel stationed there, better safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” she said.

She added that works in West Philippine Sea will enable China to better perform “international responsibility and obligation in maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine science and research, meteorological observation, environmental protection, navigation safety, fishery production service and other areas.”


China’s massive reclamation disregards the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in South China Sea signed by ASEAN states and China. Article five of the said declaration says parties should exercise “self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.”

Meanwhile, the Philippines as one of the claimants in the disputed waters still waiting  for the results of the arbitration case filed against China in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) expected to be released next year.

Aside from Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and other neighboring countries are also claimants the South China Sea.