China completes South China Sea museum

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – Construction work on the main structure of the national South China Sea museum in Hainan province was completed on Friday, according to a Chinese news app called China Plus.

The report said the overall construction of the museum would be completed by the end of this year.

The museum is expected to open to the public in March 2017 during the Boao Forum for Asia.

China started building the museum in November last year amid the territorial dispute with the Philippines.

The museum is located in Qionghai city, on the east coast of the island province of Hainan.

It has a display area of 28,500 square meters and has a projected cost of about 1 billion yuan or $150 million.

It will have exhibitions on history, culture and ecosystems of the sea, as well as antiques found from the coastal provinces and under the sea, the report said.

“The structure is a declaration of China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea and raises awareness of its marine territory,” it added.