China's state-owned CCTV reported on May 29, 2017, that China plans to build a network of submarine detectors at a cost of 2 billion yuan (US$290 million) and that these seabed observation systems will provide real-time information about the environmental conditions and seabed activities at a time when China is expanding its presence in both the East and South China seas. The plan is expected to take 5 years to build and implement. A data centre will also be built in Shanghai to monitor and store the chemical, biological and geological information collected from the underwater systems. The report added that such systems would not only help China advance in scientific research and disaster prevention, but help protect national security.