The Philippines ‘ foreign ministry announced on Thursday ( Dec. 5 ) that it has lodged a diplomatic protest against China over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea on December 4.
The latest controversy in a long-running and growing debate centered on the Scarborough Shoal, which China and the Philippines exchanged complaints on Wednesday. According to the foreign ministry, this was Manila’s 60th political opposition this year and the 193rd since 2022 when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took business.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal, which has irritated neighbors who claim to cross some of their special economic regions.
China refutes a 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that Beijing’s wide says lacked a legal schedule.