Beijing mulls nuke plants in Spratlys

Digging in: Chinese vessels purportedly seen dredging in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, in a photo taken by a US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft. — Reuters

BEIJING: China may build mobile nuclear power plants in the South China Sea, state media reported, days after an international tribunal dismissed Beijing’s vast claims in the strategically vital waters.

“Marine nuclear power platform construction will be used to support China’s effective control in the South China Sea,” the website of the state-run Global Times cited the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) as saying on a social media account.