(June 10): The Philippines has asked China to remove a floating structure that it has monitored in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, as tensions between the two nations flare up anew.
Rogelio Villanueva Jr, spokesman for maritime affairs at the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, made the call during a briefing on Wednesday, describing the structure as “semi-permanent.”
Aerial monitoring by several agencies in the Philippines earlier confirmed the presence of a six-by-six metre floating structure with what appears to be an antenna within the Scarborough Shoal. That’s prompted Manila to issue Beijing several demarches and a formal protest against the structure.
China’s recent actions in the shoal are “deemed unathorised and illegal,” undersecretary Alexander Lopez of the National Maritime Council said. He said the Philippine government will undertake all steps necessary to assert its sovereignty over the shoal.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that any activity — including scientific research — carried out by Beijing on the shoal is lawful. China has “indisputable sovereignty” over Scarborough Shoal, which it calls Huangyan Dao, and its adjacent waters, he said.
Manila first spotted the object at the shoal’s southeast entrance on May 25. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said he suspects two Chinese research vessels seen at the shoal days ago were responsible for bringing the platform there.
See also: Roblox shares rise on report Russia may unblock gaming platform
Authorities also monitored the presence of Chinese personnel on the floating platform, who are believed to have helped move the structure which was already seen inside the shoal on May 31. Other objects including buoys and a possible antenna were also spotted within the shoal at that time.
Tarriela said the objects are likely in the shoal for marine scientific research, adding that the Philippines will continue monitoring and patrolling the area.
Philippine armed forces chief Romeo Brawner Jr earlier this week said the Southeast Asian nation, which has competing territorial claims with Beijing in the resource-rich South China Sea, will not allow a repeat of what happened in the past in the contested waters.
See also: Trump says peace talks on track after Israel-Iran clash ends
China took effective control of the shoal after a standoff with the Philippines in 2012 and has reclaimed reefs in contested waters in a bid to assert its sweeping claims over the waterway.
Uploaded by Evelyn Chan
