BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) issued a survey report on Friday, debunking "sea reclamation" allegations concerning the country's Tiexian Jiao and Niu'e Jiao in the South China Sea.
According to the report, satellite remote sensing and on-site survey data showed that the three cays on Tiexian Jiao reef flat and the one cay on Niu'e Jiao reef flat are all above water at high tide, with apparent natural characteristics, regular changes of position and form, and sufficient materials fostering their growth and formation. "Therefore, the formation of the four cays is a normal physical geographic phenomenon," it said.
The false remarks by the Philippines that China dumped coral debris at Tiexian Jiao, and rumors spread by relevant countries that the formation of the cays is due to China's "sea reclamation" are without any scientific or factual basis, the report said.
Titled "A Survey Report on the Coral Reef Ecosystems of Tiexian Jiao and Niu'e Jiao," the document was produced by the South China Sea Development Research Institute of the MNR together with other research institutions. ■