China plans to build the first permanent structure on a South China Sea shoal at the heart of a territorial dispute with the Philippines, in a move likely to renew concerns over Beijing’s robust assertions of its claims in the strategically crucial waterbody. US diplomats have said privately that reclamation work on the shoal would be seen as crossing in a red line because of its proximity to the main Philippine islands and the threat it could pose to US and Filipino military assets.

Uy, J. R. (2017, March 18). China to build on Panatag Shoal. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A2.