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Philippines vows to block structures at Scarborough Shoal amid fears of Chinese expansion

A floating Chinese platform at Scarborough Shoal has revived fears in the Philippines that Beijing could be taking another incremental step towards turning one of…

By Samantha Johnson / June 16, 2026
A floating Chinese platform at Scarborough Shoal has revived fears in the Philippines that Beijing could be taking another incremental step towards turning one of the South China Sea’s most sensitive disputed features into a permanent outpost.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Tuesday it would not allow any structure to be built at the shoal, nearly three weeks after satellite images first showed a possible floating platform there.

“We are not allowing that to happen. We’re not allowing any structure there,” military Public Affairs Office chief Xerxes Trinidad said during a media briefing.

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“And we have maintained our position that we will not be allowing any part to be given to a foreign nation. Not a single inch.”

On whether the military would take action if there was a permanent structure built at the location, Trinidad declined to elaborate, telling This Week in Asia that such a scenario was “speculative”.

A structure, which the Philippine Coast Guard said was likely deployed by Chinese research vessels, floats at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, on June 10. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters
A structure, which the Philippine Coast Guard said was likely deployed by Chinese research vessels, floats at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, on June 10. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters
Scarborough Shoal – a triangular coral reef formation surrounding a lagoon – sits about 124 nautical miles (230km, 143 miles) off the Philippine coast and about 874km from China’s Hainan province. It is claimed by both countries and has become one of the most closely watched sites in their long-running dispute over the South China Sea.

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