Philippines slams China for coral damage

The Philippines slammed China for the “close to catastrophic” damage it has inflicted on coral reefs through its island building activities in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Philippines also warned a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, that China poses “a significant threat to the marine environment.” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippines presented these arguments on Thursday, November 26, the third day of oral hearings on Manila’s case against Beijing over the West Philippine Sea. Valte said Kent Carpenter, one of the Philippines’ expert witnesses, “drew the conclusion that China’s actions have caused grave harm to the environment in the South China Sea due to its artificial island building activities.” Carpenter added that because of these reclamation activities, “the damage to the complex coral reef ecosystem is close to catastrophic.”

Read the full story on Rappler.