Just days ahead of an international court ruling over its claims to much of the South China Sea, Beijing has announced that it will soon begin operating its fifth lighthouse in the disputed waters.
The state-run China Daily quoted Xu Ruqing, head of China's Maritime Safety Administration, as saying that construction of the lighthouse on Mischief Reef, a man-made island in the contested Spratly chain, is nearly complete.
"The five lighthouses will work like the other 2,000 or so lighthouses in China's coastal regions, providing nonstop navigational services for maritime and rescue activities," he said, adding that the four earlier facilities have significantly improved the security of vessels passing through waters in the area.
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