THE Philippines inaugurated a new coastguard monitoring base in the disputed Spratly Islands today, raising tensions with China.

The south-east Asian archipelago, which is subject to territorial claims from China (both the Beijing and Taiwan governments), the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, is largely uninhabited but rich in fish stocks and natural resources including oil. Multiple claimant countries have established bases on islands in an attempt to assert control.

Philippines National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano, who presided over a ceremony establishing the base on Thitu island, accused China of “pure bullying” over a series of confrontations between Chinese and Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.