China and the Philippines have posted their flags on competing photo opportunities in the contested Sandbanks of the South China Sea, latcheating long-standing regional tensions between the two countries.
The conflict takes place in Sandy Cay, part of the contested Spratly Islands, days after the US and the Philippines launched an annual joint military drill called “Balikatan” or joint military drill called “shoulder to shoulder.”
The latest conflict appears to have appeared on Thursday in Chinese national media It has been reported The Coast Guard landed on a disputed reef two weeks ago, spreading its flag and “exercising sovereign jurisdiction.”
On Sunday, China’s coast guard denounced six Filipino officials at Sandy Cay, who “illegally boarded,” which Beijing called the Tiexian Reef, earlier that day despite “warnings and compassion” from the Chinese side.
Spokesman Liu Dejun said Coast Guard officials “were on board the reef and investigated and dealt with it according to the law.”
“We urge the Philippines to immediately stop the infringement,” Li said, adding that the action “violated China’s territorial sovereignty.”
Sandycay is just a few kilometres away from Chitu, where the Philippines maintains its military pre-post base.
There appears to be no indication that China has occupied the reef permanently or has built a structure on it.
On Monday, Philippine officials challenged China’s claim that it gained control.
“The facts on earth believe in their statement,” said Jonathan Malaya, a spokesman for the National Security Council. “If these things are happening, it is not in the interest of any country, and if such irresponsible announcements and statements are released to the public and the world, it is not in the interest of any country.”
China’s provincial broadcaster CCTV has released photos of five round black people standing on an unmanned coral reef as dark, expanding boats shaking in nearby waters. The group also “cleaned remaining plastic bottles, wooden sticks, other debris and coral reef trash,” the station reported.
Jay Taliella, spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard. I said On Sunday, navy, coast guard and police officers deployed to SandyCay in four rubber boats, “observing the illegal presence” of Chinese Coast Guard ships and seven Chinese maritime militia ships.
Taliella posted footage of her flag and said, “The operation reflects the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Philippine government to support the sovereignty, sovereignty and jurisdiction of the country in the Western Philippine Sea.”
Beijing claims almost all sovereignty in the South China Sea, shaking off competing claims from other countries in the region and international rulings that its position has no legal basis.
At the opening ceremony in Manila of the US-Philippine joint drill that began last Monday, U.S. Marines Lt. Colonel James Glynn said, “Both sides demonstrate not only their ‘will to support our mutual defense treaty since 1951’, but also demonstrate our non-match ability, but also demonstrate that we will do so.”
“Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity,” he said without identifying a common threat.
Beijing has denounced Manila for “conspiring with countries outside the region” by manipulating the military “to undermine the strategic stability of the region.”
Agence France-Presse
