Advertisement
South China Sea: Philippines ‘seriously concerned’ at reports of more Chinese island-building
- Reports citing satellite images and Western officials said new land formations had emerged around the contested Spratly Islands
- China’s foreign ministry said the claims were all ‘made out of thin air’, as Manila vowed to ‘not give up a single square inch’ of territory
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
7
The Philippines said on Wednesday it was “seriously concerned” over a report that China has started reclaiming several unoccupied land features in the disputed South China Sea.
Advertisement
Reports on Tuesday citing satellite images and Western officials said new land formations have emerged around the contested Spratly Islands in the sea, where a Chinese vessel with a hydraulic excavator was seen operating over the years.
“We are seriously concerned as such activities contravene the declaration of conduct on the South China Sea’s undertaking on self-restraint and the 2016 arbitral award,” the Philippine foreign ministry said in response to the report.
The ministry added that other agencies have been asked to investigate the report, which the Chinese embassy in Manila called “fake news”.
Fishing fleets that operate as de facto maritime militias under the control of authorities in Beijing have carried out construction activities at four unoccupied features in the Spratly Islands over the past decade, according to the Western officials, who asked not to be identified to discuss sensitive information. Some sandbars and other formations in the area expanded more than 10 times in size in recent years, they said.
Advertisement
Advertisement