Mystery platform? China says it was carrying out research at Scarborough Shoal
Announcement comes after Manila lodged diplomatic protest over ‘illegal presence’ of a floating structure at the disputed atoll
The research mission – which began on May 20 – involved deploying a floating platform for environmental monitoring and sampling, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ South China Sea Institute of Oceanology said in a statement on Wednesday.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea – an inter-agency body that oversees Manila’s maritime strategy in the South China Sea – said aerial monitoring of the shoal had detected a floating platform that appeared to be an antenna.
China’s foreign ministry said it was legitimately exercising its right to carry out activities “including scientific research” at Scarborough Shoal and urged the Philippines to stop its “sensationalist hype”.
The research institute said its expedition had covered the entire shoal with the aim of collecting data on the geological evolution and physiological responses of coral reefs to environmental changes.