BEIJING: According to Chinese state media, the coast guard has taken control of a disputed reef close to a significant military base of the Philippines in the South China Sea, which heightens ongoing territorial disputes with Manila.
China asserts that it holds rights over nearly the entire South China Sea, dismissing the claims of other countries in the area and ignoring an international ruling that challenges the legality of its claims.
In recent months, China and the Philippines have faced off in the contested waters, while Manila is currently engaged in extensive joint military exercises with the United States, which Beijing has criticized as a destabilizing factor.
The Chinese coast guard “applied maritime control” over the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, in mid-April, reported the state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday (April 26).
This small sandbank, part of the Spratly Islands, is located near Thitu Island, which is referred to as Pag-asa and hosts a Philippine military facility.
CCTV stated that the coast guard landed on Sandy Cay to “assert sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the reef, perform an “inspection,” and “gather video evidence concerning the unlawful activities of the Philippine side.”
The broadcaster published an image showing five individuals in black outfits standing on the uninhabited reef, with a dark inflatable boat nearby.
Another image depicted four coast guard members holding a national flag on the reef’s white surface, an act described by CCTV as a “declaration of sovereignty.”
The group also “removed leftover plastic bottles, wooden sticks, and other litter from the reef,” according to the broadcaster.
