Satellite images show suspected structure at disputed South China Sea atoll, but later gone
Written by: Karen Lema and Greg Torode
MANILA, June 4 (Reuters) – Satellite images obtained by Reuters confirmed the presence of a structure at the entrance to the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last week, but later images show it is no longer there.
The Philippines said on Wednesday it was investigating reports of the existence of a new structure at Scarborough Shoal, which China has tried to block at times since taking de facto control of the atoll in 2012.
Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional defense forum in Singapore on Saturday, that he had received raw information about the structure’s existence.
Photos taken on May 27, 29 and 30 show what an analyst at Vantor, a commercial satellite imagery provider, said was likely a floating raft or buoy at the entrance to the atoll, in addition to a barrier extending above it in the May 27 and 29 photos.
On Tuesday, US-based marine monitoring group SeaLight released X satellite images taken from Scarborough Shoal on May 28, showing what it described as “a clearly distinguishable small, reflective object on the reef flat near the entrance to the lagoon.”
“The evidence suggests this is a permanent feature rather than a temporary optical artifact,” SeaLight said, citing its review of additional satellite images. he said.
But the suspicious structure was no longer visible in the photo taken by Vantor on June 1, the first reported evidence that it was no longer there.
Scarborough, which China calls “Huangyan Dao”, is one of Asia’s most disputed maritime areas, and some diplomats and analysts fear long-running friction and conflict on the island could escalate into armed conflict.
China’s foreign ministry said China “has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.”
“Any activities carried out by China on Huangyan Island, including scientific research, are the legitimate rights of a sovereign state,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning told reporters at Friday’s briefing, without confirming whether China had placed the suspicious structure there. he said.
In recent years, Chinese coast guard ships have frequently clashed with Filipino fishermen around the shoal, which is close to major shipping lanes and is coveted for its fish stocks and a turquoise lagoon that provides shelter for ships during storms.
The Chinese military and coast guard patrolled the area on Sunday, just after Philippine and US forces conducted a five-day naval exercise in the same waters – the third such exercise this year – to strengthen interoperability and maritime security.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s landmark ruling in 2016 on various issues in the South China Sea favored Manila, but establishing sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal was beyond its scope.
The court said Beijing’s blockade there violated international law because it is a traditional fishing area for many countries, including China, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Last year, China announced the establishment of a national nature reserve in the shallows; This move was immediately condemned by the Philippines, which described it as “a clear excuse for invasion”.
(Reporting by Karen Lema and Greg Torode; Additional reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
