MANILA: The Philippines' defence ministry on Wednesday said it believed an increased presence of Chinese vessels at the disputed Scarborough Shoal was a precursor for building man-made structures and was "gravely concerned".
The ministry took the decision to release photographs taken on Saturday of what it said were more vessels than normal because China's ambassador had denied any new activity at the shoal, defence ministry spokesman, Arsenio Andolong, told reporters.
"We believed that this is precursor to possible building of structures on the shoal," he said, adding that China's denial was "even more disturbing".