China to build environmental monitoring station near disputed Scarborough Shoal

China has approved the construction of a marine environmental observation station to monitor an area that includes the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a persistent flashpoint in tensions with the Philippines in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea.The Zhongsha Islands Marine Ecological and Environmental Field Observation and Research Station, proposed by the China-sea-institute-of-oceanology" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="188665" data-entity-type="organization">China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was given the green light on July 31, the SCSIO announced on Tuesday.The approval reflects the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ commitment to “leveraging science and technology to support the national strategy in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea”, according to the SCSIO statement.