Philippines sends ships to disputed atolls where China is building ‘artificial island’ – vopbuzz
MANILA: Philippines It said in a statement on Saturday that it had deployed a ship to a disputed area in the region. South China SeaHe accused China of building an “artificial island” due to the escalating maritime conflict.
The coast guard sent a ship “to monitor China’s alleged illegal activities and create an ‘artificial island,'” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office said in a statement, adding that two other ships were stationed in the area on a rotating basis.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said at a forum that “small-scale reclamation” of Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, was underway and that China was “the most likely actor.”
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Philippines’ claims, which could deepen the bilateral dispute.
The Philippine national security adviser on Friday called for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an alleged leak of a phone call with a Filipino admiral regarding a maritime dispute.
Beijing and Manila have been locked in heated disputes for a year over rival claims to the South China Sea, through which $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually.
China claims almost all of the vital waterways, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claims had no basis under international law.
China’s extensive land reclamation and construction of air force and other military facilities on some islands in the South China Sea have raised concerns in Washington and the region.
Noting the “alarming” presence of dozens of Chinese ships, including research and navy ships, Tarriela said the Philippine ship anchored at Sabina Shoal to “capture and document the spilling of broken corals onto the sandbars.”
Tarriela said the discovery of the Chinese ships at the atoll, 124 miles (200 km) from the Philippine province of Palawan, coincided with the coast guard’s discovery of mounds of dead and crushed coral.
He said the coast guard would take marine scientists to the sites to determine whether the coral mounds were a natural phenomenon or the result of human intervention.
The official added that it plans to have a “long-term presence” at Sabina Shoal, the meeting point for Philippine ships conducting supply missions to Filipino troops stationed on a warship that ran aground at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila and China have frequent naval clashes. .
The coast guard sent a ship “to monitor China’s alleged illegal activities and create an ‘artificial island,'” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office said in a statement, adding that two other ships were stationed in the area on a rotating basis.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said at a forum that “small-scale reclamation” of Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, was underway and that China was “the most likely actor.”
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Philippines’ claims, which could deepen the bilateral dispute.
The Philippine national security adviser on Friday called for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an alleged leak of a phone call with a Filipino admiral regarding a maritime dispute.
Beijing and Manila have been locked in heated disputes for a year over rival claims to the South China Sea, through which $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually.
China claims almost all of the vital waterways, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claims had no basis under international law.
China’s extensive land reclamation and construction of air force and other military facilities on some islands in the South China Sea have raised concerns in Washington and the region.
Noting the “alarming” presence of dozens of Chinese ships, including research and navy ships, Tarriela said the Philippine ship anchored at Sabina Shoal to “capture and document the spilling of broken corals onto the sandbars.”
Tarriela said the discovery of the Chinese ships at the atoll, 124 miles (200 km) from the Philippine province of Palawan, coincided with the coast guard’s discovery of mounds of dead and crushed coral.
He said the coast guard would take marine scientists to the sites to determine whether the coral mounds were a natural phenomenon or the result of human intervention.
The official added that it plans to have a “long-term presence” at Sabina Shoal, the meeting point for Philippine ships conducting supply missions to Filipino troops stationed on a warship that ran aground at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila and China have frequent naval clashes. .
