China to start civilian flights from disputed South China Sea island

China will begin civilian flights to and from a disputed South China Sea island within a year, state media reported on Friday, as the government expands infrastructure on islands and reefs also claimed by other countries in region. The flights will be to Sansha city, on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, China's administrative base for islands and reefs it controls in the South China Sea. China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.