Beijing rejects 'groundless' Philippine claims it is trying to build artificial island in South China Sea

China has denied claims by the Philippine coastguard that it is trying to build an artificial island at the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

On Monday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, dismissed the claims as "groundless and pure fabrication".

Wang told a daily press conference: "In recent times, the Philippines has repeatedly spread rumours and deliberately discredited China in a futile attempt to mislead the international community.

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"We urge the Philippine side to stop making irresponsible remarks, face up to the facts, and return as soon as possible to the right track of appropriately dealing with disputes at sea through negotiations and consultations."

On Saturday, Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine coastguard, said patrols in recent weeks had "effectively" prevented China's efforts to reclaim land on the coral atoll - known as Xianbin Jiao in China and Escoda Shoal in the Philippines - in the Spratly Islands chain.

China has been accused of trying to build an artificial island in the Sabina Shoal. Photo: Gallo Images/ Orbital Horizon/ Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021 alt=China has been accused of trying to build an artificial island in the Sabina Shoal. Photo: Gallo Images/ Orbital Horizon/ Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021>

He said the Philippine coastguard had discovered crushed coral dumped by Chinese ships as part of these reclamation attempts and that patrols would continue to monitor the situation.

"Which among the [claimant] countries in the South China Sea is involved in the wanton destruction of the marine environment? It's only China. Who else can we blame? Only China," Tarriela said.

The shoal, which is about 75 nautical miles (120km) from the Philippine island of Palawan, is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Chinese and Philippine ships have been involved in a series of clashes in recent months - sometimes involving collisions between ships or the use of water cannons - in other parts of the South China Sea, raising fears the situation could escalate into armed conflict.

Earlier on Monday, Chinese state broadcaster CGTN said the country's coastguard had "normalised training" in the waters near Scarborough Shoal, after a group of Philippine politicians and activists said they would sail into the area to assert the country's rights.

Meanwhile, the Philippine government has said it is studying the possibility of filing a legal case against China over the destruction of coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. China has rejected the accusations and said Manila is trying to "create political drama".

In 2016, the Philippines won a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which rejected China's territorial claims marked out under the so-called nine-dash line.

Beijing rejected the ruling, but it is worried that a second lawsuit could encourage other rival claimants in the South China Sea to follow suit and that this would deeply damage China's international image.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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