Satellite Images Confirm China’s Installation of Floating Barrier at Mouth of Disputed South China Sea Atoll, Beijing Calls Move “Necessary”

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that it was necessary to install a barrier at the mouth of a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Image via China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that a floating barrier now blocks the entrance to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a move that will further inflame tensions with the Philippines, which also claims the atoll as its own.

The Reuters news service published satellite images taken last Thursday that clearly show a floating barrier at the mouth of the atoll. Then, on Monday, a Reuters correspondent in Beijing asked Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning to confirm the presence of the barrier, which she did.

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by Eric Olander

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