[International] To Prevent China from Building on Huangyan Island, Philippine Military Closely Monitors Suspicious Platform
bellala 央廣7h agoEdited
Chinese marine survey vessels were recently photographed towing a suspicious floating platform in the lagoon of Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal, also known as Democratic Reef in Taiwan). The Philippine military is closely monitoring and collecting evidence, emphasizing that it will not allow a repeat of the incident in the 1990s when China built artificial islands under the guise of constructing fishing shelters.
Philippine security agencies recently observed that China appears to have deployed a floating platform, possibly equipped with an antenna, at the entrance of the Huangyan Island lagoon. External speculation suggests it might be involved in hydrographic surveys, widening navigation channels, or even planning to build docking or anchoring facilities.
At a regular press conference held today (16th), Philippine Navy spokesperson Marissa Martinez stated that various external inferences about China's intentions remain speculative.
However, she emphasized that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling confirmed the Philippines' rights in the relevant waters. The military will continue to monitor developments around Huangyan Island and submit collected evidence and data to relevant government departments as a basis for future decisions.
When asked about the military's specific follow-up measures, Martinez responded that it would be inconvenient to disclose due to security concerns.
China's South China Sea Institute of Oceanology recently published an article stating that the floating platform mentioned by the Philippine side was built by a Chinese scientific research team to study the development, evolution, and ecological resilience of the Huangyan Island sea area.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela posted a video on Facebook yesterday showing the Chinese marine survey vessel "Yue Zhan Yu Ke 6" towing the suspicious floating platform in the Huangyan Island lagoon.
Tarriela wrote that by exposing China's actions, the Philippines is informing the international community that China is once again violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Philippines will not tolerate "bullies" acting with impunity.
Meanwhile, Director of the Philippine military's Public Affairs Office, Xerxes Trinidad, pointed out that information collected from any marine research activity could be used for military purposes, hence the Philippine military is paying close attention.
Regarding external speculation that the Chinese facility might be equipped with an echo sounder for hydrographic surveys, Trinidad stated that the military is unwilling to speculate without complete evidence but emphasized that the Philippines will continue to monitor the situation.
Trinidad reiterated that the Philippines will not allow the Mischief Reef incident of the 1990s to happen again.
In 1994, China began constructing "fishing shelter facilities" at Mischief Reef. The Philippines discovered this the following year and lodged a diplomatic protest. China initially claimed it was merely a "simple shelter," usable by Philippine fishermen, but ultimately developed Mischief Reef into an artificial island with an airstrip, port, and military facilities. (Editor: Chen Wen-wei)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=214857
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