This small pile of crushed coral is out of place on Sabina Reef, and is a suspected sign of reclamation (PCG)
The government of the Philippines is dispatching a coast guard cutter to investigate suspected Chinese island-building activity at Sabina Shoal, a reef located less than 90 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan. China has built multiple artificial islands atop reefs in the Spratly archipego, constructing "unsinkable carriers" with air defenses, strategic runways and long-range radar installations - but Sabina Shoal would be by far the closest to the Philippines' home islands yet.
In a statement, the office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that it was sending one cutter to monitor the "supposed illegal activities of China," and accused Chinese forces of creating "an artificial island." As evidence, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said that there were dozens of Chinese research vessels, naval vessels and other ships gathered at Sabina Shoal. He said that there are signs that someone has been dumping crushed coral on the reef at a small scale - potential evidence of reclamation - and that the nearby Chinese flotilla is the likeliest culprit.
Tensions between Beijing and Manila (and its allies) may be higher now than at any point in the last decade. China claims most of the Spratly Islands as its own, even though most of the archipelago is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The China Coast Guard has pushed back against Philippine navigational freedom in the Philippine EEZ with force, using water cannons, aggressive maneuvers and occasional shouldering to prevent the Philippine Coast Guard from reaching two particularly sensitive sites.
