China reports again about floating nuclear power plant in the South China Sea.

China could build nuclear power plants in the South China Sea to supply fresh water to the structures it occupies from Vietnam.

This is a model of the mobile nuclear power plant that China plans to build in the South China Sea. Photo: Global Times.

The Global Times, a subsidiary publication of the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, reported today.quoting the newsChina National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)Reports indicate that Beijing plans to build a mobile nuclear power plant in the South China Sea.

Observers believe this is a reaction to the ruling by the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 12th rejecting China's "nine-dash line" claim.

CNNC said the mobile nuclear power plants would "support effective control" over structures Beijing has seized from Vietnam in the Spratly Islands. The mobile plants would provide energy to produce fresh water for Chinese soldiers at the structures in the Spratly Islands and also for offshore oil rigs.

The CNNC news report was posted on the social media platform WeChat but was later deleted. A CNNC employee toldAFPthat it takes time to verify the accuracy of the information.

In April, the Global Times also reported on the plan to build this shipyard. The China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) is responsible for its design and construction.

"In the past, water was transported to the Spratly Islands (Vietnam's Truong Sa Islands) by supply ships, which was insufficient to meet demand. China will boost trade in the South China Sea when it has electricity from nuclear power plants," Global Times wrote, adding that ChinaThere are plans to build around 20 mobile nuclear power plants, located around the Paracel and Spratly Islands, with a total investment of 40 billion yuan (nearly 6 billion USD).

In recent years, China has accelerated the pace of land reclamation, building artificial islands, runways, radar stations, and lighthouses in the Spratly Islands, seriously violating Vietnam's sovereignty. The Arbitration Tribunal affirmed that these structures do not create a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as claimed by China. The Tribunal also declared that China's land reclamation activities have seriously affected the marine environment.

According to VNE