Philippines to lodge protest over apparent Chinese airbase in South China Sea
Manila says Beijing reneged on promise not to militarise man-made islands
The Philippines will make a diplomatic protest to China over what Manila says is Beijing reneging on a promise not to militarise artificial islands in the busy South China Sea waterway.
The comment from Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday followed a December 30 broadcast of aerial footage by the official China Central Television showing Fiery Cross Reef, which appeared to have been transformed into an airbase.
“The Chinese government said some time ago that they were not going to militarise those reclaimed islands,” Lorenzana said, adding that the protest would be made through the foreign ministry.
“If it is true and we can prove that they have been putting soldiers and even weapons systems, that will be a violation of what they said.”
The United States has also criticised China’s build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement through the key trade route.
Asked about the protest, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the construction was on the country’s territory and was intended to aid peace in the region, as well as maritime safety and disaster prevention.