China and the Philippines have displayed their national flags in competing photo opportunities on a disputed sandbank in the South China sea, ratcheting up longstanding regional tensions between the two countries.
The dispute played out at Sandy Cay, which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, and comes days after the US and the Philippines launched their annual joint military drills called “Balikatan”, or “shoulder to shoulder”, which this year will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation for the first time.
The latest confrontation appears to have emerged on Thursday, when Chinese state media reported the Coast Guard landed on the disputed reef two weeks ago, unfurled a flag and “exercised sovereign jurisdiction”.
On Sunday, China’s coast guard then accused six Filipino personnel of “illegally boarding” Sandy Cay, which Beijing calls Tiexian Reef, earlier that day despite “warnings and dissuasion” from the Chinese side.
Spokesperson Liu Dejun said coast guard personnel then “boarded the reef and investigated and dealt with it in accordance with the law”.
“We urge the Philippines to immediately stop its infringement,” Liu said, adding that the actions “violated China’s territorial sovereignty”.
Sandy Cay is just a few kilometres from Thitu island, where the Philippines maintains a military outpost.
There do not appear to be any signs that China has permanently occupied the reef or has built a structure on it.
On Monday Philippines officials disputed China’s claim that it had gained control.
“The facts on the ground belie their statements,” National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said. “It is not to the benefit of any nation if these things are happening, nor it is to the benefit of any nation if such irresponsible announcements and statements are released to the public and to the world.”
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV published a photograph of five black-clad people standing on the uninhabited reef as a dark inflatable boat bobbed in the nearby water. The group also “cleaned up leftover plastic bottles, wooden sticks and other debris and garbage on the reef”, the broadcaster reported.
Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said on Sunday that its navy, coast guard and police personnel had deployed to Sandy Cay in four rubber boats and had “observed the illegal presence” of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel and seven China maritime militia vessels.
Posting footage of their own flag being displayed, Tarriela added: “This operation reflects the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Philippine government to uphold the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.”
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries in the region as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.
At the opening ceremony in Manila for the joint US-Philippines military drills, which began on Monday last week, US Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn said the two sides would “demonstrate not just our will to uphold our mutual defence treaty in existence since 1951 but our matchless capability to do so”.
“Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity,” he said, without specifying a common threat.
Beijing said the military manoeuvres “undermine regional strategic stability” and accused Manila of “collusion with countries outside the region”.
With Agence France-Presse
