MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will still rely on China’s good faith even as the Asian power has expanded and fortified the islands it is occupying in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. The report, posted on China’s National Marine Data and Information Service and carried by tabloid Global Times, said the construction projects in South China Sea covered about 290,000 square meters this year. “China has accelerated construction and enhanced its military presence on South China Sea islands and shoals over the past year as territorial tensions with neighboring countries are subsiding,” the Global Times, a daily Chinese tabloid, reported. Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea but this is being disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. To assert what it called its historic rights in the South China Sea, China has built artificial islands and structures on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Burgos (Gaven), Kennan (Hughes), Mabini (Johnson) and Calderon (Cuarteron) reefs, areas near Palawan.

Source: Philippine Star December 25, 2017 16:17 UTC