Chinese-Philippine tensions were raised over China’s recent placement of some type of floating platform near the Scarborough Shoal, a resource-rich islet claimed by both Beijing and Manila.
China took control of the shoal in 2012 as part of a larger effort to take over the entire South China Sea as its maritime territory.
The Philippines took the dispute to an international tribunal that in 2016 ruled against China’s claims to the shoal and the rest of the South China Sea as illegal under international law.
Chinese vessels since have fired water cannon at Philippine fishing vessels near the shoal.
Philippine officials released photos of the new platform that is about 300 square feet and outfitted with a communications antenna.
The platform was raising fears that China is getting ready to press greater claims to the shoal. However, the platform was removed after several days, according to news reports from the region.
The Chinese military has built bases with missiles and electronic warfare gear on several islands in the sea — despite a 2015 promise by Chinese President Xi Jinping to then-President Obama that it would increase tensions with such militarization.
“If it’s a precursor to a more permanent presence, or a precursor to other malign activity, then it’s worrisome,” Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told The Wall Street Journal.
China claimed the platform is a temporary scientific research facility to study coral reefs.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.