An increase in Sino-foreign joint maritime research, particularly in the disputed South China Sea, is helping China improve its regional reputation by contributing to the health and utility of international waterways, analysts say.
China helped Malaysia with atmospheric studies on the high seas last year, among other marine science projects, reports from Malaysia say.
This month and next China will work with the Philippines on exploring an underwater plateau, and Beijing's official Xinhua News Agency said a vessel of Chinese scientists had reached port in Myanmar January 17 for joint oceanographic research.
Analysts say these cases, and others, let China and its partners find valuable marine resources while casting Beijing as a trustworthy steward of shared oceans in Asia.
Since a world arbitration court ruled against the scope of China's claim in mid-2016, Beijing has improved economic ties with other claimants to put the legal dispute behind them.