A tiny sandbar in the disputed South China Sea has become the latest flashpoint in tensions between China and the Philippines, with each side displaying its flag to reinforce competing claims on the island.
Earlier this month, members of the Chinese Coast Guard landed on the disputed reef, Sandy Cay, unfurled a flag and “exercised sovereign jurisdiction,” Chinese state media reported on Thursday.
They left the island by Sunday, when the Philippines deployed its own personnel to the sandbar. Hours later, Beijing called the act an “illegal boarding,” saying it had “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, a chain of dozens of slivers of land, including Sandy Cay, in the South China Sea, and its surrounding waters.
The standoff comes days after the United States and the Philippines began their annual joint military drills in the Philippines, which China has criticized as undermining regional stability. The United States is a treaty ally of the Philippines and has pledged to come to the aid of Manila in the event of an attack.
China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea have flared tensions in the region for years. It has built up a large military presence in the Spratlys, setting up a military base on reclaimed land around Subi Reef, which is near Thitu Island, the Philippines’ most important military outpost in the Spratlys.
Some observers said China might be trying to assert control of Sandy Cay — which covers an area of 200 square meters, or about 2,150 square feet — to legitimize its claim on Subi Reef, the naturally occurring parts of which are submerged during high tide.
