Philippines says it finds more Chinese blocks on reef

From InterAksyon (Sep 4): Philippines says it finds more Chinese blocks on reef

The Philippines said Wednesday it had spotted more concrete blocks allegedly installed by China on a small group of reefs and rocky outcrops within Filipino territory in the South China Sea.

Aerial surveillance discovered about 75 blocks scattered on a section of the Scarborough Shoal, said defence department spokesman Peter Galvez.

"These can be used for platforms (or) foundations, that is why we said earlier this could be a prelude to any other form of construction," he told reporters.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei rejected the Philippine allegations.

"What has been said by the Philippines isn't true. Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory," Hong told state television CCTV in an interview, using the Chinese name for the shoal.

"In accordance with the constitution, Chinese government ships maintain routine patrols in waters of Huangyan Island to safeguard our sovereignty over Huangyan Island and to maintain order of relevant waters. That is China's legitimate right and interest and it is beyond dispute."

The Philippines had earlier released an aerial photograph taken Saturday of what it said were about 30 concrete blocks at Scarborough.

A second surveillance flight on Monday photographed more blocks scattered over a two-hectare (4.9-acre) section of the shoal, said Galvez, who did not release the newer photograph.

It was unclear whether the extra blocks were newly laid or were missed by the earlier sweep, he said.

He declined to speculate on whether Manila thought the Chinese would actually build structures there.

Galvez said any construction would violate a 2002 non-binding agreement between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours to refrain from actions or hostile acts that could inflame tensions in the flashpoint region.

China claims most of the South China Sea, including waters close to the coasts of its neighbours.

Scarborough Shoal is about 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the main Philippine island of Luzon, within the country's internationally recognised exclusive economic zone.

The outcrop is about 650 kilometres from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese land mass.

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have competing claims to parts of the sea, and the rivalries have been a source of tension for decades.

The Philippines engaged China in a tense standoff at the shoal in 2012.

Manila has said the Chinese had effectively taken control of the shoal by stationing vessels there and preventing Filipino fishermen from going there.

In January the government asked a United Nations tribunal to rule on the validity of the Chinese claims to most of the sea.

China has rejected the move, but has said it wanted to solve the dispute through bilateral negotiations with concerned parties.

Foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez said Wednesday diplomats were trying independently to confirm the surveillance photos before lodging an official diplomatic protest.

"Jointly with the (defence department), we are committed to look at ways to appropriately address the issue," he told AFP.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70057/philippines-says-it-finds-more-chinese-blocks-on-reef