SUMMARY

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines said on Saturday, May 11, it has deployed ships to a disputed area in the South China Sea, where it accused China of building “an artificial island” in an escalating maritime row.

The coast guard sent a ship “to monitor the supposed illegal activities of China, creating ‘an artificial island,’” the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement, adding two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told a forum there had been “small-scale reclamation” of the Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, and that China was “the most probable actor.”

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Philippine assertions,…

Source:https://www.rappler.com/philippines/sends-ships-disputed-atoll-china-building-artificial-island/