China to Build Structure on Disputed Shoal, Philippines Says
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Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin accused China of preparing to build a structure on an uninhabited piece of land claimed by both countries in violation of a regional agreement.
The Philippine armed forces saw three Chinese coast guard ships and concrete blocks in the Scarborough Shoal as of Aug. 31, Gazmin told a congressional hearing in Manila today. The move contravenes a 2002 declaration between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to refrain from occupying land in the South China Sea, he said.