West Sand

West Sand (Chinese: 西沙洲; pinyin: XÄ«shā-zhōu; Vietnamese: Cồn cát Tây) is a sand cay located in the northwest of the Amphitrite Group of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.^[1] It is approximately 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) west of Tree Island.

West Sand is administered by the People's Republic of China. Being a part of the disputed Paracel Islands, the entity is also claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam.^[2][3]

In July 2014, the PRC announced an investment plan of 18 million yuan (about 2.92 million U.S. dollars) that "will be used to build desalination systems and grow trees on Xishazhou Island in the hope of turning the island into a new oasis".^[4]

References

1. GEOnet Names Server (GNS)
2. 19.海南諸島礁名稱 (in Chinese). Department of Social Affairs, Ministry of the Interior (Republic of China). Retrieved 20 March 2013.
3. "Huyện đảo Hoàng Sa" (in Vietnamese). Da Nang Portal. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
4. "China Focus: South China islands see green transformation". news.xinhuanet.com. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

Coordinates: 16°58′00″N 112°12′00″E / 16.96667°N 112.20000°E