The Philippines released photos Wednesday to back its claims that China had secretly begun work to cement control over a crucial shoal in the hotly contested South China Sea.

The release of the images, which claimed to show Chinese ships preparing to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal, came hours ahead of a meeting between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Laos.

China this week insisted it had not launched any efforts to begin construction at the shoal, which has enormous strategic importance for Beijing’s ambitions to control the sea and weaken US military influence in the region.

But the Philippines said, the images showed Chinese ships at the shoal last weekend that were capable of dredging sand and other activities required to build an artificial island.

“We have reason to believe that their presence is a precursor to building activities on the shoal,” defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP in a text message.

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