Construction of lighthouse completed on Zhubi Reef in South China Sea

Beijing rebuffed suspicion on Wednesday over the operation of a lighthouse on an island in the South China Sea, saying it is a public service that China is providing to the region.

星期三，北京回绝了对南海某岛屿上的一座灯塔运作的疑心，表示这是中国向该区域提供的一项公共服务。

"China has been committed to providing more public products and services to navigation in the South China Sea. It is beneficial to the trade of coastal countries in the region and even some countries outside the region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.

外交部发言人陆慷在例行新闻发布会上表示，“中国一直致力于为南海地区航行提供更多的公共产品和服务，这是一件有利于本地区沿岸国商贸活动，甚至包括一些域外国家经过此地的商贸活动的事情。”

The Ministry of Transport held a completion ceremony on Tuesday for construction of the lighthouse on Zhubi Reef, marking the start of the lighthouse’s operation.

4月5日，交通部在南海渚碧礁举行灯塔竣工仪式，标志着灯塔的正式启用。

Construction of the 55-meter-high lighthouse, which has a lantern of 4.5 meters in diameter on top and rotating lights inside, began in October. The lighthouse is monitored via a remote control terminal.

渚碧灯塔于去年10月开工建设，塔身高55米，配置4.5米直径灯笼和大型旋转灯器，采用遥控终端进行远程监控。

The lighthouse emits white light in the nighttime, with a range of 22 nautical miles and a glow cycle of five seconds.

灯塔在夜间发出白光，灯光射程22海里，周期5秒。

Zheng Heping, deputy head of the Maritime Safety Administration, said the automatic identification system and other equipment inside the lighthouse can provide efficient navigation services to ships, such as positioning reference, route guidance and navigation safety information.

交通运输部海事局副局长郑和平介绍，灯塔配套建设船舶自动识别系统和甚高频基站，可以为过往船舶提供定位参考、航路指引、航行安全信息等导航助航服务。

To improve maritime emergency responses in the area, the Ministry of Transport started construction of large, multifunctional lighthouses on Huayang Reef, Chigua Reef and Zhubi Reef last year. The two other lighthouses are already in use.

为提高该区域内的海事应急响应能力，交通运输部从去年开始在华阳礁，赤瓜礁和渚碧礁上建设大型、多功能的灯塔，其他两个灯塔已经投入使用。

"The Zhubi lighthouse will further enhance the capability to ensure maritime security in the South China Sea," Zheng said.

郑和平说，“渚碧灯塔将有助于进一步提升南海水域航海保障能力。”

Li Jinming, a professor of maritime policy and law at Xiamen University, said the lighthouses that China has built in the South China Sea are a testimony to its efforts to safeguard navigation freedom and security.

厦门大学的一位海事政策与法律教授李金铭说，中国在南海建立的灯塔，是对其努力维护航行自由和安全的有力证明。

"The US, Japan and the Philippines have challenged China on that. And the glowing lighthouse is a silent answer."

“美国、日本和菲律宾都曾挑战该区域，而发光的灯塔正是无声的回答。”

Lighthouses are part of China’s efforts to perform its responsibilities in maritime search and rescue, response to natural disasters and marine environmental protection, the Transport Ministry has said.

交通运输部表示，灯塔是中国努力履行其海上搜救、应对自然灾害和海洋环境保护职责的一部分。

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来源:路透社中文网爱语吧作者:橙子