The Philippines said Saturday it had sent ships to a disputed area within the South China Sea, where it accused Beijing of constructing an “artificial island” amid a growing maritime dispute.
The coast guard sent the ship “to observe China’s alleged illegal activities by creating an ‘artificial island,'” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office said in a press release, adding that two other ships were deployed to the world on a rotational basis.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commander Jay Tarriela told the forum that “small-scale reclamation” had been carried out on Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, and that China was the “probably actor.”
The Chinese embassy in Manila didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the Philippines’ claims, which could deepen the bilateral rift.
The Philippines’ national security adviser on Friday called for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over the alleged leak of a telephone conversation with a Philippine admiral a few maritime dispute.
Beijing and Manila have been embroiled in a bitter dispute for a 12 months over their competing claims within the South China Sea, which carries $3 trillion in annual trade.
China claims almost the whole vital waterway, 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 in international law.
China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands within the South China Sea, constructing an air force and other military facilities, sparking concern in Washington and across the region.
A Filipino vessel was anchored within the Sabina shoal to “capture and document the dumping of crushed coral onto the sandbanks,” Tarriela said, citing the “alarming” presence of dozens of Chinese vessels, including research and naval vessels.
Tarriela said the presence of Chinese ships on the atoll, 200 km away from the Philippine province of Palawan, coincided with the invention by the coast guard of piles of dead and crushed coral.
The Coast Guard will take marine scientists to those areas to find out whether the coral piles were a natural phenomenon or the results of human intervention, he added.
He added that he intended to have a “longer presence” at Sabina Shoal, a rendezvous point for Philippine ships carrying out resupply missions for Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila and China have had frequent clashes at sea.
