Sansha

For other places known by this name, see Sansha (disambiguation).

Sansha
三沙市
Prefecture-level city
City Hall of Sansha
City Hall of Sansha
Sansha is located in South China Sea
Sansha
Sansha
Coordinates (Sansha municipal government): 16°49′52″N 112°20′19″E / 16.8310°N 112.3386°E / 16.8310; 112.3386
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceHainan
Prefecture-level city established24 July 2012[1]
City seatYongxing Island
(Woody Island)
Government
 • CCP SecretaryYuan Guangping (袁光平)
 • Congress ChairpersonWang Changren (王长仁)
 • MayorDeng Zhong (邓忠)
Area
 • Land<13 km2 (<5 sq mi)
 • Water~2,000,000 km2 (~772,000 sq mi)
Population
 (2013)[2]
 • Total
1,443
Time zoneUTC+08:00 (China Standard Time)
Postal code
573100
Websitewww.sansha.gov.cn
Territorial Dispute: There are on-going territorial disputes in the entire area covered by the city, whose administrative authority is not internationally recognized.
Sansha
"Sansha", as written in Chinese
Chinese三沙
Hanyu PinyinSānshā
PostalSamsha
Literal meaningthree sands (referring to the Chinese names for the three island groups)
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSānshā
Wu
Romanizationsae1so1
Xiang
IPAsiã44 so44
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSāamsā
Jyutpingsaam1saa1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJsam-sua

Sansha City (Chinese: 三沙市; pinyin: Sānshā Shì) is a prefecture-level city under the Hainan province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and is the southernmost and least populated prefecture in China by far, with the smallest land area but the largest maritime territory.[a] The city's seat is located on Yongxing Island in the South China Sea, and administers (actually or nominally) several island groups, atolls, seamounts and a number of other ungrouped maritime features within the nine-dash line,[3] although the PRC's de facto control over the area varies. The name "Sansha", literally meaning "three sands", refers to the three archipelago districts of Xisha (Chinese: 西沙; lit. 'west sand'), Zhongsha (Chinese: 中沙; lit. 'central sand') and Nansha (Chinese: 南沙; lit. 'south sand').

Sansha was created on 24 July 2012,[4] and administers a group of 260 islands, reefs and beaches located in the Spratly Islands (Nansha), Paracel Islands (Xisha), and Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands).[5] Reports in the China Daily stated that the establishment of Sansha was simply an upgrade of its administrative status from the previous county-level administration to prefecture-level.[3] Subsequent developments have turned Sansha City (located on Xisha District's Yongxing Island) into a small town with over 1,400 residents, with a dual-use airport that has a 2,700 metres (3,000 yd) runway and two artificial harbors capable of docking sea vessels up to 5,000 tonnes.[6][7]

Due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea,[8][9] foreign reaction to the city's establishment was not positive. The United States Department of State called the change in the administrative status "unilateral", and the move has received criticism from nations engaged in the South China Sea dispute, particularly the Philippines as well as Vietnam and the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan), which claims the island.[10]

  1. ^ "South China's Sansha City boasts improved infrastructure". Xinhua. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2018.[dead link‍]
  2. ^ 三沙概览. sansha.gov.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Government of Sansha. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2015. not including the floating population of 2,000 and more; only residents are counted
  3. ^ a b "China sets up Sansha City to administer South China Sea islands". Sina. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference xinhuaen0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Sansha Travel Guide". www.travelchinaguide.com. Travel China. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Sansha garrison". China Daily. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference hawkishreuters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Wong, Hiufu. "China to open disputed islands to tourism". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  9. ^ "China Declares New 'City' On Tiny, Remote Island". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  10. ^ *"Philippines Slams China's Establishment of Sansha City in South China Sea". VOA. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2014.


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