Key facts
- The Philippines has urged China to remove a floating structure at the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
- Manila has warned against the development of the shoal into a man-made island.
- The Philippine Coast Guard believes Chinese research vessels likely deployed the floating platform.
- China maintains indisputable sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal.
- Photos of the structure show a wooden platform with flotation devices and an antenna.
The Philippines has formally requested China to remove a floating structure recently placed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Manila also issued a warning against any attempts to transform the atoll into an artificial island, signaling a deepening of maritime tensions between the two nations.
Philippine officials shared photographic evidence of the structure, described as a movable platform likely deployed by Chinese research vessels. Philippine Navy spokesperson Roy Trinidad stated that the country is actively working to prevent the shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc, from becoming another man-made island, drawing parallels to China's previous island-building activities in the region.