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Why China is carrying out construction at Lingyang Jiao: Experts cite sovereignty, livelihoods and public services_我的网站

一 | 据外国媒体报道，科学家最新的研究发现，一颗巨大的超级行星离地球只有6光年远，这可能孕育着原始的生命形式。    

    Aerial view of Lingyang Jiao Photo: XinhuaSome foreign media have recently renewed hypes over China's construction at Lingyang Jiao in the Xisha Qundao (Xisha Islands), claiming that the completed first phase could become part of China's "largest military base" in the region.
China has firmly rejected such hypes. "Xisha Qundao is China's inherent territory, over which there is no dispute. Necessary construction on our own territory is aimed at improving living and working conditions on the islands and growing the local economy," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian at a regular press conference on March 23.
Despite that clear explanation, some foreign media outlets continued to point their finger at the Chinese reef. Why is China carrying out construction at Lingyang Jiao, and why do external parties have no grounds to reproach? Chinese experts recently spoke with the Global Times about the history, purpose and legal basis of the construction on the reef.
Indisputable sovereignty
Lingyang Jiao, whose name comes from its resemblance to an antelope horn, lies on the western side of Yongle Atoll in the Xisha Qundao, about 89 kilometers from Yongxing Island and 6.5 kilometers from Jinyin Island. The reef stretches six kilometers from north to south, measures about 3.5 kilometers at its widest point and covers roughly 15 square kilometers.
The reef, also traditionally known among Chinese fishermen as Kuangzai or Quanzai, is administered by the city of Sansha in South China's Hainan Province.
"Lingyang Jiao is an inherent part of China's territory. Fishermen from Hainan sailed there to fish as early as the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties," Xu Xiaodong, a vice chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, told the Global Times on March 23.
In 1935, the then-Chinese government included the reef in its bilingual list of South China Sea island names. Its name was reviewed again in a corresponding list issued by the then ministry of the interior in 1947 and has remained in use ever since, Xu said.
During the 1974 Xisha self-defense counterattack, the South Vietnamese warship Nhat Tao was sunk in waters near Lingyang Jiao. Xu said these facts demonstrate the Chinese government's determination and actions to safeguard its sovereignty over the Xisha Qundao, including Lingyang Jiao.
Lei Xiaolu, a professor at Wuhan University China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, said that China was the first country to discover, develop and administer the Xisha Qundao. Successive Chinese governments have continuously exercised jurisdiction over the islands, including Lingyang Jiao, forming a clear historical record.
France recognized China's sovereignty over the Xisha Qundao in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lei said. When France attempted to occupy the Xisha Qundao in 1931 and nine islands and reefs in the Nansha Qundao in 1933, the Chinese government immediately protested and reaffirmed its sovereignty.
Numerous official documents from that period clearly placed the Dongsha, Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Qundao within Chinese territory, such as a 1935 map of the South China Sea islands, a brief chorography of the South China Sea islands in 1947, a comparison table of their old and new names, and a location map bearing the South China Sea dash line. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese government continued to exercise sovereignty over the Xisha Qundao. 
"Lingyang Jiao is part of China's Xisha Qundao. The Chinese government has repeatedly made clear that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Xisha Qundao," Lei said.
Construction to improve living
Previously published aerial images have shown Lingyang Jiao's distinctive ring-shaped lagoon, but its natural beauty long contrasted with the rudimentary living conditions faced by local fishermen.
According to the official website of the Sansha city government, the reef was once almost entirely barren, with little vegetation. Fishermen lived two or three to a coral-stone hut measuring only three or four square meters.
For a long period, a single diesel generator was used to supply electricity on the reef, providing power only between 7 pm and 11 pm. Fresh water had to be carried from vessels arriving from Hainan Island, while typhoons posed a constant threat to residents and their homes.
Construction of a fishermen's settlement was put on the agenda in 2012. However, the complex topography and hydrological conditions around the reef prevented large vessels from approaching, forcing workers to carry construction materials ashore by hand. 
After years of development, Lingyang Jiao now has basic infrastructure including a desalination facility and a power station. Its navigation channel has been dredged and opened, and a fishermen's settlement has been completed. 
Xu said the current construction serves at least two purposes: The first is to provide more and better public services.
Lingyang Jiao lies on the outer edge of the Yongle Islands, surrounded by some of the most difficult navigational waters in the Xisha Qundao. In 2015, the Chinese government built and activated a lighthouse there to provide navigation services for passing vessels.
"Further construction can provide stronger infrastructure support for maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, and help ensure navigational safety in the South China Sea," Xu said.
The construction will also further improve local residents' living conditions. Transport difficulties have long left the reef short of essential supplies, while typhoons have repeatedly caused serious damage to housing. The construction can better meet fishermen's needs for water, electricity, secure housing and employment, Xu noted.
"Fishermen working in the South China Sea have long faced extremely harsh conditions. Far from shore, they spent weeks exposed to intense sunlight, strong winds, heavy rain and sudden typhoons, often without a safe place to rest or repair their boats," Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Issues at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Ding said the construction is intended to improve the living standards of Chinese fishermen and represents a direct result of China's people-centered development philosophy. 
"China now has the capacity and resources to develop infrastructure at Lingyang Jiao. Doing so is both feasible and responsible, and responds to the long-standing needs of fishermen who have depended on these waters for their livelihoods for centuries," Ding said. 
Besides, ecological protection has remained a prerequisite for production and construction on the reef. In 2019, a research team led by Professor Xie Qiang from Sun Yat-sen University School of Life Sciences discovered a new marine insect species at Lingyang Jiao and named it after the reef.
It was China's first discovery of a strictly marine insect group at the family level within its territory and territorial waters, filling a gap in the country's scientific records. 
"China's land reclamation and construction activities are conducted in strict accordance with laws, regulations and ecological standards," Xu said. "Through technological innovation and systematic governance, China has balanced ecological protection with resource utilization. The results of environmental protection at Lingyang Jiao and in its surrounding waters are clearly visible," Xu said.
No room for external interference
China's construction at Lingyang Jiao has drawn persistent attention from some foreign media. Since January, outlets including Newsweek have used satellite images to hype the project.
The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies recently claimed that the reclaimed area at Lingyang Jiao had surpassed that of Yongxing Island and was approaching the size of Meiji Jiao, China's largest island reef in the South China Sea.
A Reuters report published on Wednesday went further, claiming that Lingyang Jiao could be one of the Chinese military's most important features in the South China Sea. It speculated that the reef could host surveillance facilities or support nuclear-powered submarines to strengthen "China's military presence around key waterways." 
Ding rejected this accusation, saying that as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China conducts construction on islands and reefs in the South China Sea strictly within the framework of international law.
"The construction at Lingyang Jiao is peaceful in nature and serves the public. It is intended to better safeguard national territory while providing practical assistance to people and vessels operating in the South China Sea," Ding said.
Ding said improved infrastructure at Lingyang Jiao would bring broader benefits to the region by strengthening China's capacity to provide public services. These include more accurate weather forecasting, faster and more efficient emergency rescue, broader marine scientific research and stronger safety support for the South China Sea's busy international shipping routes.
"China's construction can provide more international public goods and help reduce risks for merchant ships, fishing vessels and other maritime activities," Ding said. "It is not militarization, but an effort aimed at safeguarding peace and stability. The tendency to view everything China does as military in purpose reflects the dark geopolitical mentality of the West."
Xu said China's land reclamation and construction activities also have a solid basis in international law. China ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1996 and, under the convention, has the right to conduct construction on islands and reefs within its own territorial waters without seeking the consent or approval of any other country.
"The Xisha Qundao have been Chinese territory since ancient times. Lingyang Jiao has long been a place where Chinese fishermen live and work, and it also carries the history of the Maritime Silk Road," Xu said.
Both history and present-day reality demonstrate China's indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands, including the Xisha Qundao, Xu noted. The waters surrounding the Xisha Qundao are under China's effective administration, making land reclamation and construction at Lingyang Jiao normal activities within China's sovereign jurisdiction.
Objections from external parties are inconsistent with China's long-standing administration of the South China Sea islands and have no basis in international law or international rules, Xu said. No country has the right to interfere in China's construction activities at Lingyang Jiao.
。巴纳德B（GJ699B）是最近发现的一颗绕着巴纳德运行的超级地球行星，它是离地球第二近的恒星系统。这颗行星被认为是非常冷的，其表面温度与木卫二相似，大约在零下150度。然而，研究人员说，它可能有一个巨大的热铁/镍核心，地热活动非常活跃，这将有助于促进生命。维拉诺瓦大学的天体物理学家爱德华·桂南在美国天文学会第223届年会上说，核热活动可能支持地表下的“生命带”，这种现象类似于南极洲地下湖泊中的现象。我们注意到欧罗巴的表面温度与巴纳德B的相似，由于潮汐加热，欧罗巴冰的表面下可能有一个液态海洋。他还指出，如果存在水，核热活动（火山羽流、火山口等）可能在冰面下形成液态水的“生活区”。它非常像结冰的欧罗巴卫星，它是由潮汐活动而不是地热能加热的。巴纳德的恒星系统将是我们未来研究和分析的重点。

二 | 巴纳德最显著的特点是，它是离太阳最近的两个恒星系统之一，而且其中有行星。这项研究的共同作者斯科特·恩格尔强调，这项研究支持开普勒先前的任务数据，这些数据可以推断行星在整个星系中非常常见，可能高达数百亿颗。同时，巴纳德恒星的年龄大约是太阳的两倍——90亿年，而太阳的年龄是46亿年。宇宙要想形成地球大小的行星需要很长的时间，甚至比太阳现在的年龄还要长。巴纳德B是地球质量的三倍，绕着红矮星巴纳德运行233天。它的轨道距离与水星绕太阳的轨道距离大致相同。当它经过巴纳德星球的雪线时，它变暗了。”这些观测将帮助我们了解大气层、表面结构和系外行星的潜在生存能力，”恩格尔说。虽然巴纳德B的表面温度约为零下150摄氏度，但科学家们仍然相信，地球冰冻表面下的液态水区域可能是生命形式的滋生地。外行星是一颗岩石行星，至少是地球的3.2倍大。巴纳德距离地球只有六光年，在天文距离上非常接近，它的亮度是太阳的0.0035倍。离太阳最近的恒星是半人马座α星，它由离地球四光年的三颗引力束缚的恒星组成。据报道，巴纳德B行星的存在是通过使用不同的陆基望远镜和天文仪器20年来发现的。其中之一是西班牙卡门尼天文台最先进的行星探测器。即使是今天最强大的望远镜也不能直接成像巴纳德B。巴纳德星的名字来自于1916年发现它的耶克斯天文台的爱德华·艾默生·巴纳德。虽然巴纳德离地球只有六光年远，但它是人类肉眼看不见的。如果你把半人马座阿尔法星系的三颗恒星作为一个单位，那么巴纳德是离地球第二近的恒星。这是一颗暗的，低质量的M4矮星，亮度只有太阳的0.0035倍。相关辐射数据表明，它的直径仅为太阳直径的20%，质量仅为太阳最近恒星的17%。大多数恒星属于M矮星，它们很弱，很难用肉眼观察，就像半人马座的邻居一样。

三 | 巴纳德的明星都很老了。他们是在恒星爆炸怀孕期间出生的。当时，星际金属含量已达到目前的水平，星际金属含量仅为太阳含量的10%。

四 | 它的年龄也证实了它有一个更长的旋转周期130天。随着年龄的增长，其转速逐渐减慢。相反，太阳自转周期平均为25.4天，相当于巴纳德恒星自转周期的五分之一。巴纳德恒星仍有一些磁场活动，偶尔会有磁场能量释放的耀斑。它有一个像太阳一样活跃的X射线日冕，最高温度为200万摄氏度。巴纳德恒星内部的低温条件和微弱的能量产生率使它成为一颗不可思议的“长寿星”。事实上，在银河系中还没有发现已经灭绝的M矮星。

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Published on:03:47:28