China obligated to name Diaoyu Island: official

Xinhua, March 4, 2012

Chinese oceanic authorities are legally obligated to survey and give standard names to islands within the country's maritime territory, according to the country's top oceanic official.

Liu Cigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), said Saturday that such survey and naming practices are among the regular tasks of the SOA as provided by China's law on island protection.

Liu's remarks came shortly after the release of a list of standard names of the Diaoyu Island and 70 other islands affiliated to it.

In addition to the standard names, the recent document also provided their Chinese pronunciations in "Pinyin" and descriptions of their locations.

The Diaoyu Island and other related isles have been part of inherent Chinese territory since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over them, stressed Liu, who is also deputy to the National People's Congress.

Liu also noted that the SOA has been resolute to secure the country's maritime interests with increasing efforts in a variety of issues.

The system of regular cruises has been put in place for law enforcement against unauthorized survey or exploration from foreign vessels, said Liu, adding that the SOA cruise fleet has the capacity to cover the entire maritime territory within China's jurisdiction.

Moreover, the SOA had expanded cooperation with other countries in fields including tsunami observation and forecast as well as protection of maritime environment, said Liu.

Liu also briefed the achievements of the country's research forces in polar regions and the seabeds of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean during the past years.