Philippines Warns China Against Building Artificial Island in South China Sea
The Philippines and China are once again embroiled in a dispute over the South China Sea. Manila is urging Beijing to remove a floating structure placed at Scarborough Shoal and has asserted it will not allow the atoll to be turned into an artificial island.
The Philippine government, as reported by Reuters on Friday (12/6/2026), lodged a diplomatic protest against China on Tuesday (9/6) over the presence of what it described as a ‘mobile platform’. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the platform was likely deployed by a Chinese research vessel.
‘From a defence and security standpoint, we are doing what we can to carry out our mandate, and that includes preventing Bajo de Masinloc from being developed into another artificial island,’ said Philippine Navy spokesman Roy Trinidad, using the local name for Scarborough Shoal.
Philippine security officials shared photographs of the floating structure during a press conference on Wednesday (10/6) local time. The images showed a square platform with several people on board and an antenna in the centre. The structure appeared to be built from wooden planks forming a central deck, surrounded by cylindrical flotation devices attached around its perimeter.
China has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the floating platform. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (9/6) reiterated that Beijing holds ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over Scarborough Shoal and stated that its activities there, including scientific research, are lawful.
Reuters previously obtained satellite imagery confirming the platform’s existence, although images taken on 1 June showed it was no longer at Scarborough Shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard maintains the platform remains at the atoll.
Jay Batongbacal, a professor and maritime law expert at the University of the Philippines, said the photographs were reminiscent of Mischief Reef, one of seven artificial islands China has built in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. That island is equipped with a runway, radar systems, and surface-to-air missiles.
‘They started with a base, then small huts that were continuously upgraded,’ Batongbacal said.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have deteriorated amid repeated maritime confrontations in the South China Sea, a waterway contested by multiple nations and almost entirely claimed by China. Scarborough Shoal lies close to major shipping lanes and is highly sought after for its fish stocks and turquoise lagoon that provides shelter for vessels during storms.