Philippines Protests China Over Floating Structure at Scarborough Shoal
Manila said the 6-meter platform may signal a new attempt to assert control over the disputed shoal, officials said.
- On Tuesday, the Philippines' Foreign Ministry undertook "appropriate diplomatic action" against China, protesting the "illegal presence" of a floating structure measuring 6 by 6 meters at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
- Philippine officials fear the structure marks Beijing's effort to convert the uninhabited atoll into an island base, mirroring past Chinese activities at Mischief Reef. China has maintained constant ship deployment at Scarborough since 2012.
- Citing aerial monitoring, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea confirmed the 6-meter platform featuring an antenna. The structure was initially spotted at the shoal's entrance before moving inside the lagoon, where it appeared to be manned.
- China's Foreign Ministry reiterated "indisputable sovereignty" over what it calls Huangyan Island, dismissing Manila's concerns without elaborating. The Philippine government stated it will continue taking actions consistent with international law to defend national interests.
- A 2016 arbitral tribunal invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims over the South China Sea, though Beijing rejected the ruling. The United States has repeatedly warned it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, should forces come under attack.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Philippines urges China to remove shoal structure, warns against island-building
MANILA — The Philippines said on Wednesday that it is urging Beijing to remove a floating structure placed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, adding that it will not allow the atoll to be turned into a man-made island.
Manila Protests Beijing’s Floating ‘Structure’ in South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has protested the Chinese regime’s deployment of what Manila describes as a floating “structure” with personnel on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, fearing it could be a part of Beijing’s effort to turn the uninhabited atoll into an island base, Philippine officials said Tuesday. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said, without elaborating, that it lodged a protest over the Chinese regime’s…
PH protests floating structure in Panatag
ILLEGAL OBJECT Satellite imagery released by SeaLight shows a small object at the mouth of Panatag Shoal. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has confirmed the presence of a floating platform on the shoal measuring 6 by 6 meters. —PHOTO COURTESY OF SEALIGHT/RAY POWELL MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest with China over a floating structure spotted inside Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, the National Task Force for t…
PH govt files protest over structure in Masinloc
THE National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on Tuesday reiterated the Philippine government’s stance that Bajo de Masinloc is an integral part of Philippine territory and falls within the country’s maritime zones under international law. It said that the government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, filed a diplomatic protest with the Chinese government over the confirmed presence of a “floating structure” inside Bajo d…
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