China seized Scarborough Shoal, also claimed by the Philippines, in 2012; US has warned Beijing against carrying out land reclamation work there
China will begin preparatory work this year for an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, an official said, as two U. S. senators introduced a bill to impose sanctions on its activities in the disputed waterway.
China seized the strategic shoal, which is also claimed by the Philippines, in 2012, and the United States has warned Beijing against carrying out the same land reclamation work there that it has done in other parts of the South China Sea.
This week, Xiao Jie, the mayor of what Beijing calls Sansha City, an administrative base for disputed South China Sea islands and reefs it controls, said China planned preparatory work this year to build environmental monitoring stations on a number of islands, including Scarborough Shoal.
Restoration, erosion prevention
The monitoring stations, along with docks and other infrastructure, form part of island restoration and erosion prevention efforts planned for 2017, Xiao told the official Hainan Daily.
The report came ahead of a visit to Beijing at the weekend by U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, where he is expected to reiterate U. S. concern about Chinese island building.
Tillerson has called the activity « illegal. » Last June, then-U. S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned that any move by China to reclaim land at Scarborough Shoal would « result in actions being taken by the both United States and… by others in the region which would have the effect of not only increasing tensions, but isolating China.
