Dispute Over South China Sea Sandbar Intensifies
China claims that six Filipinos landed on a small outcropping in the South China Sea, which both countries assert as their own territory. This follows the release of photos showing Chinese coast guard officers raising a Chinese flag on the same group of sandbars.
A Long-Running Territorial Conflict
The disagreement over Sandy Cay marks the latest escalation in the ongoing territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, a region that China claims almost in its entirety.
Chinese Coast Guard Calls Philippine Landing “Illegal”
A statement from the Chinese coast guard labeled the Philippine landing on Sunday as “illegal.” It also noted that Chinese officers had gone ashore “to conduct on-site verification and enforcement measures,” though the specifics of these actions were not provided.
Philippine Coast Guard Asserts Sovereignty
In contrast, a Philippine statement explained that a joint team from the coast guard, navy, and maritime police had landed on the three sandbars that make up Sandy Cay, referred to as Tiexian Reef in China. Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine coast guard, shared the statement on X, along with a video and photos. One image depicted personnel raising the Philippine flag on one of the sandbars. The statement emphasized the Philippine Government’s unwavering commitment to defending its sovereignty, rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.
Chinese Coast Guard Displays Flag Amid Controversy
The Philippine operation followed a report by the Global Times, a Chinese state-owned newspaper, which published images of Chinese coast guard officers on Tiexian Reef in mid-April. The photos showed officers raising a Chinese flag and cleaning up debris like plastic bottles from the area.
China Asserts Sovereignty Over Spratly Islands
The Chinese coast guard’s statement regarding the Philippine landing reaffirmed China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, which includes Tiexian Reef and its surrounding waters.
