AN EPIC battle brewing in the South China Sea just went up a notch.
China is creating manmade islands on reefs in the region, which has ticked off neighbouring countries
The Philippines now plans to station fighter jets and frigates on a former US naval base facing the growing islands where it is engaged in a maritime row with China, a defence official says.
The slow battle has already flagged growing concerns from experts that friction in the region could drag Australia into war as China and the US use the islands as the stage for global dominance.
The flashpoint is a series of reefs 1400km from China’s mainland being dredged to create islands from what were previously reefs. China claims the sovereign right to do this.
But the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have a stake in the region.
Any militarisation of the reefs could trigger war between China and US if major shipping routes become restricted.