Philippines plans military upgrades to disputed South China Sea outposts
Al Jazeera
Manila will upgrade islands and acquire more ships to modernise its military amid tensions with China.
The Philippines has said it plans to develop islands and reefs in the South China Sea that are the subject of contesting claims from China.
The upgrades to the territorial features will seek to make them liveable for troops, Manila’s military chief Romeo Brawner said on Monday. The announcement came amid simmering tensions between the Philippines and China.
“We’d like to improve all the nine, especially the islands we are occupying,” Brawner said, referring to the nine features, including reefs and islands, it occupies in the South China Sea.
These include the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, as well as Thitu Island, the biggest and most strategically important in the South China Sea.
Known locally as Pag-asa, Thitu lies about 480km (300 miles) west of the Philippine province of Palawan.
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