Philippines strengthens claim on this South China Sea island

Philippines refloats tourism plans for disputed South China Sea island. — AFP

The Philippines is aiming to strengthen its claims in the South China Sea by potentially building hotels for tourists on its biggest island in the disputed waterway, officials said.

Manila has administrative control over Thitu – the second-largest naturally occurring landmass in the Spratly archipelago – and wants to bolster its sovereignty by adding new infrastructure.