The Philippine government will take “legal action” over China’s extraction of clams off Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the country’s exclusive economic zone, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said earlier this week. “Huge demand” for shell carvings has pushed prices up to around $3,000 or P155,000 to around $12,000 (P621,000), NTU Singapore trade expert Zhang Hongzhou was quoted as saying in Science magazine.