MANILA –
The Philippines on Monday challenged China to open Scarborough Shoal to international monitoring after it accused Beijing of destroying the shoal’s marine environment.
Maritime tension in the South China Sea between Manila and Beijing has increased as the Philippines has accused China of using water cannons and blocking maneuvers through disputed shoals and reefs.
Control of Scarborough Shoal, which was seized by China in 2012, played a role in the Philippine case before a Hague arbitration tribunal, which ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea had no basis in international law.
