China and Philippines use their flags to stake out competing claims in
the South China Sea
[April 28, 2025]
By KEN MORITSUGU and TERESA CEROJANO
BEIJING (AP) — The Philippines on Monday rejected China's claim to a
group of three sandbars in the South China Sea, after recent displays by
both sides of their national flags on the uninhabited outcroppings.
The back and forth over Sandy Cay is the latest flare-up in a
long-running dispute over territory in the hotly contested South China
Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.
The flare-up began last week when a Chinese state-owned newspaper posted
exclusive photos of coast guard officers on Sandy Cay from mid-April,
including one of them holding up a Chinese flag.
Three days later, a joint Philippines coast guard, navy and maritime
police team headed on Sunday to the three sandbars and posed for a photo
holding up their national flag.
“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,” a government
statement said. It was posted on X with a video and photos, including
one showing team members holding up the Philippine flag.
The Chinese coast guard described the Philippine landing as “illegal”
and said that Chinese officers had gone ashore “to conduct on-site
verification and enforcement measures.” It didn’t specify what those
steps entailed.
The sandbars are in the Spratly islands between Philippine-occupied
Thitu Island and Subi Reef, which China has transformed into a base with
a military-grade runway and buildings with communications facilities.
China's state-owned Global Times newspaper, which published the photos
of coast guard officers on the sandbars earlier this month, said they
had picked up plastic bottles and other debris and displayed the Chinese
national flag “to assert sovereignty.”
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In this photo provided by the National Task Force West Philippine
Sea (NTF-WPS), Philippine inter-agency members which included
Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National
Police - Maritime Group, hold the Philippine flag as they visit
Sandy Cay 2 at the South China Sea on Sunday April 27, 2025.
(National Task Force West Philippine Sea via AP)
Jonathan Malaya, the assistant director general of the Philippine
National Security Council, said Monday that there is no truth to
claims that China has seized the sandbars.
He attributed the claims to the Chinese coast guard, though the
agency has not said anything about the mid-April landing described
in the Global Times report, and later by the military channel of
state broadcaster CCTV.
“We urge the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Coast Guard
to act with restraint and not increase tensions in the West
Philippine Sea,” Malaya told a news conference,
The two countries have jostled previously over Sandy Cay, known as
Tiexian Reef in Chinese and Pag-asa Cays in the Philippines.
In January, the Chinese coast guard and a naval helicopter drove
away a group of Philippines fisheries ships that were attempting to
conduct a scientific survey around Sandy Cay.
Philippine government vessels brought scientists to Sandy Cay in
March of last year for marine research despite repeated warnings by
Chinese coast guard ships.
Chinese officials accused the Philippine military of attempting to
build a structure on one of the sandbars in 2017.
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Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.
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