China plans on Scarborough still unclear
BEIJING — China may or may not be planning to build an environmental monitoring station on the disputed Scarborough Shoal, depending on who you ask.
While the top official in the administrative region covering the island said preparatory work for the station is a priority, the foreign ministry said there is no such plan.
The Philippines, which also claims the shoal, has sought a clarification from Beijing.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last week that reports about the facility on Scarborough had been checked and were untrue.
However, the official Hainan Daily newspaper had earlier quoted Xiao Jie, the top official in Sansha City, as saying that preparatory work on the station was among the government's top priorities for 2017. Calls to the region's government seeking clarification have rung unanswered.
Such a move would likely renew concerns among Beijing's neighbors over its assertive territorial claims in the strategically crucial South China Sea.
Beijing seized tiny, uninhabited Scarborough in 2012 after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels.
China's construction and land reclamation work in the South China Sea have drawn strong criticism from the US and others, who accuse Beijing of further militarizing the region and altering geography to bolster its claims. China says the seven man-made islands in the disputed Spratly group, complete with their airstrips and military installations, are mainly for civilian purposes.
Prior to the announcement, South China Sea tensions had eased somewhat after Beijing erupted in fury last year following an international arbitration tribunal ruling on a case filed by the Philippines. The verdict invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims and determined that China had violated the rights of Filipinos to fish at Scarborough Shoal.
China has since allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the shoal following an improvement in ties between the countries, but it does not recognize the tribunal's ruling as valid.