The Philippines expressed concern on Monday about China’s testing of a massive dredging ship, saying it would track its activities closely, despite Beijing’s assurances it would not develop areas where it has competing claims with Manila. China has floated out a giant island-building vessel, which has been called “a magic island-maker” by its designer and is considered the most powerful vessel of its type in Asia. Some local media said the vessel was a “military defense project” which could be used for the construction of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial disputes with Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other nations.