Chinese oil giant Sinopec announced its plan to build a petrol station on an island in the South China Sea amid Beijing's expansion of civilian infrastructures in the disputed body of water.

On Monday, Sinopec put up an entry on its microblog announcing its intention to create a filling station with storage tank on Woody Island, which is located in the disputed Paracels in the South China Sea. In the microblog post, Sinopec explained that the filling station and storage tank will ensure adequate fuel supply for the Paracels in the next few years, according to Reuters.

Like Us on Facebook

As of now, details on Sinopec's oil project are still scant, but the firm said they would finish construction of the petrol station in three months. In addition, the planned storage tank would be able to hold 2,000 cubic meters of petrol, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The additional oil supply from Sinopec will help support the needs of the fishing vessels and construction equipment in the Paracels. It will also provide a more convenient fuel source aside from the oil products being shipped from long distance, the city government explains.

Woody Island is home to around 1,000 residents and travel agents have started advertising five-day trips to the cluster of islands and reefs two years ago, the report details.

The future Sinopec filling station on Woody Island comes as China's latest move to expand infrastructure in the disputed islands. Beijing's reclamation and building activities have heightened tension with its neighboring countries. The issue has also drawn criticism from the U.S., which has deployed warships and bombers near the artificial islands, the report relays.

Recently, the Chinese navy has been carrying out drills in the disputed waters. The defense ministry maintains that they are just conducting routine military exercises, the report adds.

China took over the Paracels in 1974 after a naval encounter with South Vietnamese forces. China claims ownership of majority of the resource-rich South China Sea and it is in a territorial dispute with Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines over the said water region.

TagsWoody Island filling station, Paracel Islands, Sinopec