Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Mischief Reef — or Panganiban Reef to Filipinos — lies about 129 nautical miles west of Palawan. But China claims mischief reef belongs to them.
In 1995, China built an outpost on stilts on the reef. When the Philippines protested, China insisted it was just a shelter for fishermen.
But that’s beside the point, because the Philippines claims sole right to fish and use the resources on the reef which is within its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
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The standoff marked the beginning of Beijing’s expansion in the South China Sea, which is also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have signed a declaration pledging to avoid threatening acts in the disputed area and to peacefully resolve the overlapping claims.
Today, Mischief Reef is under China’s control. It is one of seven such rock formations in the West Philippine Sea claimed by both Manila and Beijing.
Two decades since China occupied it, satellite images show artificial islands forming along the reef with Chinese dredgers around it.
According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, China has reclaimed about five and a half million square meters of land on Mischief Reef.
