VIENTIANE:
Beijing
came under pressure at an Asian summit on Wednesday for building islands "illegally" in the
South China Sea, after the
Philippines
produced evidence showing construction activity at a flashpoint shoal.
An artificial island at
Scarborough
shoal could lead to a military outpost just 230 kilometres from the main Philippine island and raises the risk of confrontation with the US, analysts said.
But the fresh images showed Chinese ships in the area that were capable of dredging sand and other activities required to build an artificial island. "Their presence is a precursor to building activities on the shoal," defence department spokesman Arse nio Andolong said.
Reacting to the allegations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, "The situation concerning Scarborough shoal is unchanged.should be on high alert on why those people keep hyping issue and spreading rumours about it." China took control of Scarborough shoal in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippine navy.