China Expands Nautical Chart Coverage
With the publication of a new batch of paper and electronic nautical charts for foreign sea areas in late June 2014, the nautical charts developed by the Navy Publishing House of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) have covered main waters around the world. This puts an end to the era in which Chinese military and civil ships have had to rely on foreign nautical charts when voyaging in foreign waters.
As the Chinese navy is performing more and more diversified maritime military missions and civil ships are more engaged in economic activities in the high seas in recent years, the need for nautical charts for foreign sea areas has become increasingly urgent.
To safeguard the national maritime rights and interests and promote the development of marine economy, as China's official publishing house of nautical charts, the Navy Publishing House of the PLA has accelerated the development of nautical charts for main foreign sea areas, and produced and published the electronic version simultaneously.
It began to provide free electronic nautical charts to domestic public service vessels from October 2011, and has promoted China's official electronic nautical charts around the world.
At present, the nautical charts developed by the Navy Publishing House of the Chinese People's Liberation Army cover major waters around the world, and have supported dozens of missions including China-foreign joint naval exercises, high-sea voyages of naval vessels, and escort missions at the Gulf of Aden. The Navy Publishing House of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has also provided timely and accurate marine geographic information services for local ocean-going ships.
