The Philippines is verifying “raw information” suggesting China may have installed a new structure in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Monday.
Authorities could not yet characterize what had recently been monitored in the shoal, he told reporters. “We’re not even sure if it’s a structure.”
Teodoro said various objects, such as buoys, are occasionally placed in the area or may have drifted into the shoal from outside.
“Once in a while, they put a buoy or something there, or it may have drifted in from outside. It’s a shoal,” he said.
Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground located about 220 kilometers (137 miles) west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, has long been a flashpoint in the South China Sea dispute. China seized effective control of the shoal after a standoff with the Philippines in 2012 and has since maintained a constant presence in the area. A 2016 international arbitral ruling invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, a decision Beijing rejects.
In April, satellite imagery and the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed that China deployed a 352-meter (1,150-foot) floating barrier across the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal, restricting access to the lagoon. The barrier was later reported to have been removed.
Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told Naval News over the weekend that the military had recently monitored a suspected “small structure” measuring about 6 by 6 square meters inside the shoal.
“We’re still investigating whether it’s floating or fixed,” he said.
Amid the latest concerns, Philippine and U.S. forces conducted a maritime cooperative activity near Scarborough Shoal from May 26 to 30. A U.S. Coast Guard cutter joined the joint patrol for the first time, represented by the Legend-class cutter USCGC Midgett (WMSL 757), according to the U.S. 7th Fleet.
The Philippines deployed Jose Rizal-class frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FFG-15), one AW109 helicopter; Philippine Air Force two FA-50 light fighters, two A-29B Super Tucano, one Cessna C-208B Grand Caravan EX, a Sokol search and rescue helicopter; and Philippine Coast Guard Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessel BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV 9702).
According to the U.S. 7th Fleet, the activity focused on critical maritime skills, including visit, board, search and seizure operations, maritime interdiction operations, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement training.
China said it had carried out combat readiness and law enforcement patrols near the shoal in response to what it called “rights violations and provocative acts.” The Philippine military rejected the claim, saying it has not monitored any evidence of coordinated exercises or tactical maneuvers by the People’s Liberation Army Navy and China Coast Guard in the area.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday to discuss mutual concerns, including developments in the South China Sea.