China reports again about floating nuclear power plant in the East Sea

China may build nuclear power plants in the East Sea to provide fresh water for the structures it occupies from Vietnam.

Operational model of China's mobile nuclear power plant planned to be built in the East Sea. Photo: Global Times.

The Global Times, a subsidiary publication of People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, todaynews ofChina National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)Beijing plans to build mobile nuclear power plants in the East Sea.

Observers say this is a reaction to the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, rejecting China's "cow tongue line" claim.

CNNC said the mobile nuclear power plants will "support effective control" of Beijing's structures in the Spratly Islands, which Vietnam occupies. The mobile plants will provide energy to produce fresh water for Chinese soldiers at the structures in the Spratly Islands and also for offshore drilling platforms.

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

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

"In the past, water was transported to the Nansha (Vietnam's Truong Sa) by supply ships, which was not enough to meet demand. China will boost trade in the South China Sea when it has electricity from nuclear plants," Global Times wrote, adding that Chinaplans to build about 20 mobile nuclear power plants, located around the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa areas, with a total investment of 40 billion yuan (nearly 6 billion USD).

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

According to VNE