Also known as Scarborough Shoal, the ring of reefs lies about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from the Philippines in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims are hotly contested by other nations. China is a "strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea", the document says. China's defence ministry dismissed those claims on Saturday, saying "the situation in the South China Sea has steadily stabilised," in comments attributed to spokesman Wu Qian. But it added, "the United States has repeatedly sent warships illegally into the adjacent waters of the South China Sea islands and reefs." Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea despite rival claims from Southeast Asian neighbours and has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 20, 2018 10:30 UTC