The Philippines is upgrading facilities on Thitu Island, its only inhabited outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands, in a move seen as an effort to catch up with rival South China Sea claimants.
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The latest annual Philippine budget allocated 1.65 billion pesos (US$27 million) to develop the airport as well as 300 million pesos for work on a sheltered port.
More than 1 billion pesos has separately been earmarked for another sheltered port facility on Nanshan Island, which is around 160km (100 miles) east of Thitu Island.
While the upgrades will not dramatically alter the regional balance, analysts said they would help the Philippines boost its limited military reach in the face of Beijing’s increasing pressure in the South China Sea.
The money will help fund the extension of Thitu’s sole airstrip to 1.5km, enough to be used by some variants of the F-16 fighter as well as light combat and transport planes.
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Beijing is likely to watch these developments closely – particularly any access given to Philippine allies such as the United States – and some analysts warned that increased air traffic could increase the risk of collisions between Chinese and Philippine military aircraft.