According to international law, "a right does not arise from an illegal action," said an expert on Philippine action in the South China Sea.

Over the years, the Philippines continuously delivered construction materials to Ren'ai Jiao and attempted many times to make it a permanent occupation. This action fundamentally is an illegal occupation of China's features in the South China Sea, said Yan Yan, director of the Research Center for Oceans Law and Policy at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.