Thitu Island is disputed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (AP) — A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said Sunday.

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Thitu Island is home to a Philippine fishing village and Filipino forces and is the largest of nine islands and islets occupied by the Philippines. It lies about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Subi Reef, which China transformed into an island base along with six other barren reefs to reinforce its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs, an Asian flashpoint that many fear could pit China and the United States in a major conflict.

Chinese ship runs aground off Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea

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Philippines starts Spratly Islands upgrades after months of tension with China

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.

Beijing is likely to watch these developments closely – particularly any access given to Philippine allies such as the United States. Some analysts have warned that increased air traffic could increase the risk of collisions between Chinese and Philippine military aircraft.

Thitu Island, known to Manila as Pag-asa and to China as Zhongye, is the largest feature occupied by Manila in the region. It plays host to a coastguard station equipped with radars and other monitoring equipment as well as around 200 civilians.

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“Should the expanded airstrip and shelter port accommodate US military aircraft or coastguard vessels, it might shift the strategic pressure in maritime manoeuvres back onto China,” he said.

Zheng said Manila may undertake more inspections around Subi Reef, one of the main Chinese-controlled outposts in the Spratlys, just 22km from Thitu.

“Enhanced military capabilities on Thitu Island could lead to heightened frontline face-offs or unintended incidents around Subi Reef,” he said.

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In August, the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources made an aerial inspection of Subi Reef and accused the Chinese side of using flares when its plane was nearby.

“With both sides maintaining significant military presences – the Philippines on Thitu Island and China on Subi Reef – any military aircraft flying near the Subi Reef area could provoke responses from the other, leading to potentially dangerous aerial encounters,” Zheng said.

Bao Yinan, an associate research fellow at the Huayang Centre for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in Hainan, said the Philippine decision to upgrade its facilities may have been intended to “provoke trouble” in unoccupied features nearby such as Iroquois Reef.

The Philippines opens a new monitoring base on a remote island in the disputed South China Sea

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano and other Philippine officials flew to Thitu Island on an air force plane Friday and led a ceremony to open the newly constructed, two-story center that will have radar, ship-tracking and other monitoring equipment to monitor China’s actions in the hotly disputed waters and other problems, including sea accidents.

What’s Really Going On In The South China Sea Between The Philippines And China