via Bangkok Post, 21 February 2023: China’s underwater archaeology centre in Hainan is seen as a way to bolster its claim over the South China Sea, a claim that is contested among many Southeast Asian countries.
Beijing has established a centre for underwater archaeology in the South China Sea, in the latest effort to consolidate its claims in the hotly contested waters.
At a launch ceremony on Saturday in the southern island province of Hainan, National Cultural Heritage Administration director Li Qun said the vast South China Sea is “an important section of the Maritime Silk Road”.
This made the waters home to the “richest underwater artefacts” and crucial to China’s cultural heritage, said Li, according to a post issued by the administration on Monday to the WeChat social media platform.
Source: South China Sea archaeology centre to boost Beijing’s claims
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