China tests Scarborough as Manila casts beyond US for help

China’s makeshift platform at Scarborough Shoal may have disappeared, but it has exposed a far more enduring strategy to cement its control of the South China Sea. This month, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that a temporary Chinese floating platform deployed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea has renewed international concerns over China’s expanding campaign to dominate the strategic waterway. Discovered by Manila in late May and removed by Beijing this month, the rickety structure spanned over 27 square meters, featured an antenna and carried Chinese nationals.

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