ASEAN Beat | Security | Southeast Asia

Philippines Urges China to Remove ‘Movable Platform’ at Disputed South China Sea Shoal

The country’s coast guard said that the structure, which first appeared on satellite images on May 25, may be supporting unauthorized marine research.

A view of Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, from the International Space Station on Oct. 24, 2015.

The Philippines said yesterday that it is urging ​China to remove a floating structure placed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a day after lodging an official protest with Beijing.

In a press conference held by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea yesterday, Philippine Navy spokesperson Roy Trinidad said that the navy was “doing what we can to perform our ​mandate, and that includes preventing Bajo de Masinloc from being developed into another man-made island.” Bajo de Masinloc is one of the names that Manila uses for the disputed feature.

The briefing came a day after the country lodged a diplomatic protest with China over the presence of what it described as a “movable platform” near the opening of the lagoon inside Scarborough Shoal. The NTF-WPS said in a statement on Tuesday that aerial monitoring by several government agencies had confirmed the presence of a floating platform measuring about six meters by six meters and appearing to have an antenna.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs has already undertaken appropriate diplomatic action with the government of the People’s Republic of China in connection with the illegal presence of this floating structure,” the NTF-WPS said. “The protection of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction remains a paramount consideration.”

The NTF-WPS said that it was continuing to work with relevant government agencies “to monitor developments and further assess the nature, purpose, and implications of the installation and related activities within the shoal.”

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela told yesterday’s briefing that the greatest likelihood is that its purpose is to conduct “illegal scientific research.” The platform was first spotted in satellite images taken on May 25,........

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