Warning Today! China plots 33 spots in Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, Pacific and Indian oceans

Beijing has for the first time named the precise areas that Chinese ocean research vessels will frequently visit, including waters near US Pacific bases and disputed South China Sea areas.
The 33 areas, or “reference sections”, cover a wide span of regional waterways – from the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea to the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans – according to the announcement from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), a top government research funder.

China operates one of the world’s largest ocean surveying fleets, with more than 60 ships in service in 2017, according to the latest data available from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, which manages the NSFC.