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China starts running tourism cruises to Paracel Islands, a chain of disputed islands in the South China Sea by next month, state media reports.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said tourists would live on board ships, as the largest island has only one hotel and no fresh water.

The islands, known in China as Xisha but the Paracels elsewhere, are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China has controlled Paracel Islands since a short war with South Vietnam in 1974.

In recent years tensions have been rising over the over-lapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, amid a more assertive stance from China.

The islands, known in China as Xisha but the Paracels elsewhere, are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan

The islands, known in China as Xisha but the Paracels elsewhere, are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan

Analysts view the latest move as another step in China’s battle to demonstrate that the potentially oil-rich area is Chinese.

Xinhua quoted the Haihang Group ship company as saying that a 47,000-tonne ship, capable of accommodating nearly 2,000 passengers, was ready to sail and that another was being built.

The first tours would take place ahead of the May Day holiday, said Tan Li, the executive vice governor of Hainan province, just north of the islands.

Tan Li said tourists would eat and sleep on the ship but visit land for sightseeing, Xinhua reports, and that the currently limited facilities would be improved by the addition of more ports and sanitation infrastructure.

China claims a U-shaped swathe of the sea that extends well into what UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) recognizes as the 200-mile-from-shore Exclusive Economic Zones of other claimants.

Last year, Beijing set up a local government office on the largest island, Yongxing – known in English as Woody Island – to oversee its territorial claims, a move which angered Vietnam.

And in March this year, Vietnam said China had fired on one of its fishing boats in the area, setting it alight.

China said the Vietnamese boats were illegally fishing in what it says is its territory when the incident occurred on March 20, and that it had fired flares not weapons.

Last year, the Philippines and China engaged in a lengthy stand-off over another disputed area, the Scarborough shoal, in a spat that left diplomatic ties very strained.

The South China Sea, seen to be rich in oil and natural gas reserves, has been a source of maritime conflict between several countries.

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Vietnam has accused a Chinese vessel of firing on one of its fishing boats in disputed waters in the South China Sea, setting it alight.

Vietnamese foreign ministry said the “very serious incident” took place on March 20 near the Paracel islands.

Its statement did not specify what kind of Chinese vessel was involved.

Vietnam and China both claim the Paracel islands, which have been controlled by China since a short war with South Vietnam in 1974.

“Vietnam strongly protests, urging China to investigate and seriously deal with the wrongful and inhumane act, and compensate Vietnamese fishermen for their loss,” foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said.

Vietnam has accused a Chinese vessel of firing on one of its fishing boats in disputed waters in the South China Sea, setting it alight

Vietnam has accused a Chinese vessel of firing on one of its fishing boats in disputed waters in the South China Sea, setting it alight

A formal complaint had been lodged with the Chinese embassy in Hanoi, the statement released late on Monday said.

Earlier this month, two Vietnamese fishing boats were chased out of disputed waters by Chinese marine surveillance ships, local reports said. Vietnamese officials have also reported increased patrolling by China in recent months.

But the use of firearms, if confirmed, points to a more forceful approach from Beijing in protecting what it calls China’s sovereign waters.

There has so far been no comment from Beijing on the issue.

In recent years tensions over territorial claims have been rising in the South China Sea, amid a more assertive stance from China.

China claims a U-shaped swathe of the sea that extends well into what UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) recognizes as the 200-mile-from-shore Exclusive Economic Zones of other claimants.

As well as Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims with China.

Last year, the Philippines and China engaged in a lengthy stand-off over another disputed area, the Scarborough shoal, in a spat that left diplomatic ties very strained.

Both the Philippines and Vietnam have sought to raise the issue through the ASEAN regional bloc, but claim Chinese pressure has forced the topic off the agenda.

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