China: The Philippines was” stir up trouble” at yet another” Taiwanese” island in the South China Sea, China’s state-backed Global Times reported, after what it said were Manila’s “provocative incursions” into lakes at two different islands in the region.
According to the patriotic magazine, the Philippines is building military infrastructure on Thitu Island, which Beijing refers to as Zhongye Dao, to potentially deter ships and aircraft from nations outside the region, including the United States and Japan, sabotaging peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to Chinese authorities.
Zhongye Dao is a part of Nansha Qundao, as the Spratly Islands are known in China, but “illegally occupied” by the Philippines, Global Times reported late on Thursday ( Aug 22 ).
The national security council and the defense ministry of the Philippines did not respond to Reuters ‘ requests for comment right away.
China has deployed a large fleet of coastline guard ships to defend what it considers its place, and it claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea. Beijing’s state has no foundation under international law, according to an international judicial tribunal.
The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei battle the states.