By Jim Gomez
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' top diplomat said Thursday any move by China to transform a Manila-claimed shoal into an island would be a "game-changer" in blossoming relations although he added that Beijing has pledged not to undertake any construction in the strategically located area of the South China Sea.
Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said in response to a reporter's question that any Chinese construction in Scarborough Shoal would be "a very serious, provocative act" that would undermine the Philippine claim to the rich fishing area.
China has turned seven mostly submerged disputed reefs into sprawling islands, including three with runways, in the last three years. The aggressive actions have alarmed China's rival claimant governments and the United States.
"If they would do that, that will really be a game-changer," Yasay replied when asked in a news conference how President Rodrigo Duterte's friendly demeanor to China could change if China undertakes constructions or turn Scarborough Shoal, which lies off the northwestern Philippines, into another island.
"There seems to have been a threat before or a perception that they were going to build, in fact, there were intelligence reports coming from the Americans that they were poised to send dredging vessels precisely to convert this ... shoal into an artificial island," Yasay said, but he added he did not expect China to take such a provocative step.
"Now we are happy and assured of the fact they will not do so," he said.
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