Reports indicate the Philippines' warship is destroying the Ren'ai Jiao ecosystem, experts say that China intensifies efforts to legalise pressure

Amid ongoing standoffs between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, Chinese officials have released a report stating that the Philippine warship grounded in Ren'ai Reef has severely damaged the coral reef ecosystem in the area and called on the Philippines to remove the warship. Collin Koh, senior fellow from NTU RSIS who studies maritime security, said, "through discussing the environment, this report takes the moral high ground and aims to counter the Philippines' arguments." Asst Prof Loh Ming Hui Dylan of Public Policy and Global Affairs at NTU Singapore, said that this could provide a cover for China's actions, "because China can argue that this is not just a territorial issue, but also concerns ecology, an environmental issue that every country should care about, including the Philippines."

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