Station broadcasts shipping forecasts to South China Sea
China aired its first English language oceanic forecast in the South China Sea on Friday on Guangzhou Coast Radio Station with a coverage range of 926 kilometers (500 nautical miles).
The development means China is now able to release forecasts for the South China Sea in both Chinese and English, the China News Service reported.
Such a service signifies China’s improved capability to implement international conventions, defend China’s maritime rights and serve the international public in the sphere including rescue operations in the South China Sea, according to the report.
The broadcast effectively covers the country’s Xisha, Zhongsha and Huangyan islands, providing all ships with precise safety information, safeguarding their navigation, life and property, the report added.
“By enhancing the country’s public service capability in the South China Sea, China is sending the world a direct message of its firm stance in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea,” Li Kaisheng, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.
China also displays its development of the region in the civilian dimension, Li said, adding that China even facilitates freedom of navigation by providing such a public service.
Starting Friday, the English version of the South China Sea maritime forecast would be broadcast at 9 am-9:10 am and 9 pm-9:10 pm Beijing time through the Navigational Telex (Navtex) or 4029.5 KHz, the report said.
The Navtex is an international automated system for distributing navigational warnings, weather forecasts and rescue notices to ships.
The forecast is generated by the South China Sea Prediction Center before it is forwarded to the Guangzhou Coast Radio Station in South China’s Guangdong Province.
As one of the five Navtex radio stations in China, the Guangzhou Coast Radio Station broadcasts maritime safety information to waters including south of the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea.