Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippine government has to expect another build-up by China on a reef within the Scarborough Shoal that would eventually reclaim the whole area, which sits just 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the main Philippine island of Luzon.
Analysts say that similar installations on Scarborough Shoal could give China effective military control over the disputed waterway — something the US has said it is not prepared to accept.
In an interview with AFP, Lorenzana said of China: “They encroached,” a 2012 confrontation that saw Philippine vessels displaced. “They occupied three islands there plus they are trying to get Scarborough. So to us that is unacceptable”.
“If we allow them, they will build. That’s very, very disturbing. Very much (more) disturbing than Fiery Cross because this is so close to us,” Lorenzana added, referring to one of the Philippine-claimed reefs China has built on.
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