• AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The Philippines foreign ministry late on Thursday said it was awaiting assessments from various agencies of the extent of environmental damage in Iroquois Reef in the Spratly islands and would be guided by Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra.

    The study “was prompted not only by the alleged destruction of reefs but also by other incidents and the overall situation in the West Philippine Sea,” Guevarra told Reuters, adding that a report and recommendation would be sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and the foreign ministry.

    China, which has refused to recognise the 2016 ruling and has chafed at repeated mention of the case by Western powers, denied the latest claims of destruction of coral reefs.

    “We urge the relevant party of the Philippines to stop creating a political drama from fiction,” its embassy in Manila said late on Thursday, quoting Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

    The Philippines’ coast guard and armed forces earlier this week reported “severe damage inflicted upon the marine environment and coral” at the Iroquois Reef, where it said 33 Chinese vessels had been moored in August and September.

    China has asserted its claims of sovereignty over the Spratly area with a series of manmade islands built upon submerged reefs, some equipped with runways, hangers, radar and missile systems.


    The original article contains 474 words, the summary contains 212 words. Saved 55%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!