472: Chapter 472 South China Sea Islands

When the Spanish Mackerel was pulled onto the deck, it elicited gasps of amazement from everyone.

The 18-pound Spanish Mackerel was longer than a person; looking at its fangs, which were the size of a pinky finger, made one's hair stand on end.

Damn, if you got bitten by this thing, it would definitely tear off a chunk of flesh. Even a scrape from those dagger-like teeth would surely plow a deep wound.

For safety's sake, Wang Jinxi used a small knife to sever its cranial nerve. After bleeding it, everyone took turns taking photos with it as a souvenir.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, the explorer arrived near the Nansha Islands.

The Nansha Islands are administered by the Nansha District of Sansha City, Hainan Province. They were known in ancient times as Wanli Shitang, Wanli Changdi, and Wansheng Shitangyu, and were originally named the Tuansha Islands.

Located in the southern waters of the South China Sea, they stretch from Xiong'nan Reef in the north to Zengmu Shoal in the south, Wan'an Bank in the west, and Haima Shoal in the east, forming China's southernmost scattered archipelago.

It is the southernmost group of islands in the South China Sea, boasting the most islands, reefs, and shoals, and covering the widest distribution range.

It spans approximately 95 kilometers from east to west and 887 kilometers from north to south. Islands, reefs, and beaches are scattered throughout, with a total sea area of 886,000 square kilometers.

It faces Vietnam to the northwest, looks across the sea to the Philippines to the northeast, and borders the coastal waters of Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia to the south.

The Nansha Islands formed on a terrace at a depth of 15 to 2,000 meters on the southeastern edge of the South China Sea basin, extending in a northeast-southwest direction in a roughly irregular quadrilateral shape.

It consists of over 23 islands, cays, reefs, sands, and banks, with 11 islands, 5 sandbars, and 2 reefs rising above the water surface.

The waters of the Nansha Islands are China's largest tropical fishing ground for marine fisheries. The area holds vast mineral resources, and oil and gas resources are particularly abundant.

Situated between the two major naval bases of Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam and Subic Bay in the Philippines, it commands a strategic maritime choke point between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

It is a vital international shipping lane that East Asia must pass through to reach South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It serves as an important gateway for China's opening to the world and a crucial barrier for the security of the southern border.

The Nansha Islands feature coral reef topography. The base primarily consists of the continental slope of the southern South China Sea and a few uplifted terraces of the continental shelf. The seabed is crisscrossed with troughs and trenches, making the geomorphology extremely complex.

The islands are formed from accumulations of reef rock, coral sand, and shells. The terrain is low and flat, with most elevations below four meters.

The Nansha Islands region is located at a strategic international shipping crossroads between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

It is the throat of the Maritime Silk Road connecting East Asia with Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. More than 6% of global trade transport and over 85% of China's imported oil pass through these waters.

Controlling the Nansha Islands is equivalent to holding the gateway to key waterways such as the Strait of Malacca, the Bashi Channel, and the Balintang Channel.

It is the first maritime barrier ensuring the security of national energy transportation and the lifeline of maritime trade.

The waters surrounding the Nansha Islands are one of the world's four major marine oil and gas enrichment areas. Oil reserves are estimated to be as high as 2.3 to 3 billion tons, and natural gas reserves exceed 20 trillion cubic meters, earning it the nickname 'the second Persian Gulf.'

It holds strategic significance for ensuring national energy security.

With its tropical marine climate and superior marine environment, it is one of the world's most biodiverse marine regions. It is rich in Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Grouper, sea turtles, shellfish, shrimp, and crabs, making it China's largest tropical fishing ground.

Regarding mineral resources: the seabed sediments are rich in metallic minerals such as manganese, cobalt, copper, and iron.

In recent years, cobalt-rich crust minerals of significant industrial value have also been identified, with broad application prospects in fields such as new energy, semiconductors, and aerospace.

Currently, among the 23-plus islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands, China (including Taiwan Province) actually controls nine: Yongshu Reef, Johnson South Reef, Hughes Reef, Gaven Reef, Subi Reef, Cuarteron Reef, Mischief Reef, Taiping Island (Taiwan Province), and Zhongzhou Reef (Taiwan Province).

The rest are illegally occupied by countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Vietnam: Controls about 29 islands and reefs, making it the country with the most occupations, including Spratly Island, Namyit Island, Sin Cowe Island, etc., and has conducted land reclamation and built military facilities on some of them.

The Philippines: Controls 8 islands and reefs, including Zhongye Island, Flat Island, Loaita Island, West York Island, etc., and has built a simple airfield on Zhongye Island.

Malaysia: Controls 5 islands and reefs, including Swallow Reef, Ardasier Reef, Mariveles Reef, etc., with a focus on resource development.

Brunei: Controls one reef, Louisa Reef.

In recent years, China has continuously strengthened its management and control capabilities over the islands and reefs it actually holds through land reclamation, the construction of dual-use military and civilian facilities (such as airports, ports, and hospitals), and regular coast guard patrols, firmly defending national sovereignty.

China possesses indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters.

Recently, through land reclamation and infrastructure construction on reefs such as Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi, China has enhanced its physical presence and management capabilities.

At the same time, China maintains its sovereignty and maritime rights through regular coast guard patrols and bilateral negotiations.

However, the actual control landscape of the Nansha Islands is complex, and related disputes are ongoing.

The stability and security of the Nansha Islands are directly related to the security of China's southern gateway and regional peace and stability; they are the core of China's maritime security strategy.

Our country possesses indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. Since ancient times, the Nansha Islands have been an inviolable part of China's sacred territory.

I believe that when the motherland is strong enough, we will surely be able to recover the lost territories.

At this moment, the sonar fish finder showed a large school of fish appearing ahead.

After using his Supernatural Ability to check, Yang Qi discovered it was a school of red seabream. He immediately turned the bow toward the fish and ordered the Trawling net to be lowered.

After several days of working together, everyone's coordination had become increasingly seamless. The speed of lowering the net had also greatly increased.

Yang Qi drove at full power toward the school of fish; the underwater trawl net was fully spread open by the action of the Otter Board.

The net head surrounded the school of fish, and as the explorer moved forward, more and more fish entered the net. Many red seabream were swept into the Codend.

An hour later, Yang Qi ordered the net to be hauled in.

Wang Jinxi and the others, who had long been prepared on the deck, immediately started the hydraulic winch and began retrieving the Warp lines.

After a while, Chen Sheng and Chen Lin removed the Otter Board, and the net ropes on both sides began to gradually close together.

Finally, using a large Crane, they hoisted the Codend onto the deck.

Zheng Tie was the one to open the net this time. After he gave the net rope a sharp tug, a dense mass of fish instantly poured out from the Codend—countless red seabream.

"Holy crap, that's so many fish!"

The people around them couldn't help but swear as they looked at the innumerable fish on the deck.

This haul was the largest they had harvested in all their Trawling operations over the past few days.