China and the Philippines are arguing over islands in the South China Sea. This body of water is very important for shipping and trade. The Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday that China seems to be building a fake island at Sabina Shoal. They saw piles of dead coral on the sandbars there.
Jonathan Malaya, a spokesperson for Philippine security, said they have ordered more security around reefs, shoals and small islands that belong to the Philippines. He said it is the Philippines’ job under international rules to protect these areas and make sure no artificial islands are built there.
“Only we will guard these locations. It is our responsibility to guard them and make sure the environment is not damaged and no new islands are built,” Malaya said on TV.
China’s embassy in Manila denied trying to build any artificial islands at Sabina Shoal. A spokesperson called the Philippine claims “ill-grounded” and said the Philippines should settle this through negotiations, not accusations.
China and the Philippines have argued over territory in the South China Sea for a long time. In 2016, an international court ruled that China’s claims in the region had no legal basis, but China rejected this ruling.
Sabina Shoal is important because it is used by Philippine ships going to resupply troops stationed at another disputed area called Second Thomas Shoal.
The argument over the maritime territory has made diplomatic relations very tense. The Philippine security chief has called for expelling Chinese diplomats over an alleged leaked phone call about the conflict.
The Philippine government says it will investigate any illegal activities by diplomats, though it did not name China directly.
Both sides will likely continue arguing strongly over their claims in this important international waterway.
Thousands of users of the well-known social network Reddit were left without access after a major outage of the website.…
Anne Hathaway is slated to play the much expected film version of Colleen Hoover's best-selling book Verity in front of…
Gucci is ready to change its presentation approach for 2025 in a radical action aimed to revolutionize the fashion industry.…
As world investors wait for significant changes that might solve long-standing problems of governance and responsibility in South Korea's companies,…
Regarding the controversial 2015 UFO incident, a Pentagon official disclosed in a major development that it has cracked the riddle…
As Donald Trump prepares for his second administration, his cabinet choices blatantly deviate from his first government. Once distinguished by…
This website uses cookies.
Read More