Last month, four medium-range missiles, launched by China’s military from that country’s mainland, were fired into the waters between the disputed Paracel Islands and the southern island-province of Hainan, according to US defense department authorities. The Chinese call this area the South China Sea. It’s not entirely clear why the Chinese began firing missiles into one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world. Millions of people depend upon this ecosystem as their primary source of protein — and millions more depend upon it for their livelihoods. This destructive treatment of that ecosystem is unfortunately not new for the Chinese. A wide body of research has shown that China’s efforts to build islands — often in the Philippines’ waters — have devastated marine life.

Neilson, T. (2020, September 22). Creating sustainable future for West PH Sea. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.