China, Philippines makes competitive claims in disputed South China Sea

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Gabriele Steinhauser, Austin Ramzy, The Wall Street Journal 3 Min Read 28 Apr 2025, 06:25 PM IST This handout photo shows the Philippine coast guard and military staff holding a Philippine flag during a maritime operation in Sanday Cay 2 .. (Photo by Handout / National Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) / AFP) (AFP) (AFP) have planted both countries (NTF-WPS) collection of sand bars, extending the clash over the area between Beijing and Manila, an American ally China and the Philippines, has an opponent of a country in the South Chinese sea, moving the tension in one of the busiest shipping. Over the past few days, Chinese as well as Philippine staff have planted their national flags on Sandy Cay, a collection of sandy beams near two important military outposts controlled by Beijing and Manila. China’s claims on a large part of the South China Sea – a passage for about a third of the global maritime trade – overlapped with that of some of its neighbors, including the Philippines. The dispute threatens to increase a position between the two nations, just as the US holds its annual military exercises in the Philippines, an American Treaty ally. Sandy Cay has geopolitical significance because parts of it remain above the water, even at high tide, and manage to 12 nautical miles of the territorial sea under International Maritime Law. Chinese state media said last week that the Chinese coast guard staff ended up on Sandy Cay, known as Tiexian Reef in Chinese in mid -April, where they enforced “maritime management and exerted sovereign jurisdiction.” According to reports, the coast watch cleansed debris, examined reports on Philippine activities on the island and took photos of staff holding a Chinese flag. The permanent occupation of Sandy Cay by the Philippines or China could have consequences for both countries’ claims on more important South China Sea features. Located within 12 miles of Sandy Cay is Subi Reef, an artificial island that is one of China’s most important military outposts in the disputed waterway. However, it does not generate its own territorial sea because its original features are plunged into high tide. The Philippines, meanwhile, control the nearby Thitu Island, where it filled soldiers and expanded the runway. Jonathan Malaya, the assistant director of the Philippine National Security Council, said on Monday that China did not seize Sandy Cay. “We found no evidence of the alleged Chinese occupation,” he told the local broadcaster ABS-CBN. The US and Philippines are currently conducting joint military drills which include approximately 9,000 US troops and 5,000 staff members from the Philippines, along with smaller contingents from Australia and Japan. The US and Philippine forces were scheduled on Monday to hold an exercise on the Philippine island of Palawan, about 300 miles from Sandy Cay, aimed at contradicting an attempted landing by enemy forces. Beijing responded to the exercises, known as Balikatan, or “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog, by projecting its power. Last week, it was one of his aircraft carriers near the Batanian Islands in the Luzon Street, the waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines, where the American and Philippine staff also drew. “I always see it as a positive if China responds to us,” said the Philippine Army Brig. Gen. Michael Logico. “It just means that we probably did something worth their attention.” Sandy Cay was in the middle of a previous stance between the Philippines and China in 2017 after the Philippines began to build a shelter for its fishermen on one of the sand bars. China protested, saying the two parties agreed not to occupy new functions in the South China Sea. The then president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who maintained a close relationship with Beijing, scrapped the hut building. The Philippines remained a significant exception to a recent Charm offensive by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, while confronting new rates from the US, he did not visit the Philippines during a trip to China’s Southeastern Asian neighbors earlier this month. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the current president of the Philippines, strengthened the ties with US analysts, says the Sandy Cay Standoff indicates China’s increasing efforts to bring about its claims on the South Chinese Sea. “It’s part of the attempt to keep pushing the narrative, that the march of China, despite everything the Philippines did to push back,” said Raymond Powell, director of Sealight project at Stanford University, which follows Chinese maritime activity. “We can expect China to push it forward in big and small ways, usually small enough that it does not cause an aggressive American or international setback, but just enough to keep going, especially the Philippines, but also all the neighboring countries, that the resistance is useless,” he said. The tit-for-tat seems to continue over Sandy Cay after the Philippine teams visited on Sunday. The Philippine authorities said their teams saw what they called the ‘illegal’ presence of vessels of the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia in the area. China’s coast guard opposed that the Philippine staff ‘ended up’ illegally ‘despite warnings from the Chinese side. Chinese officials of the coast guard then visited the island to investigate, it states. Write to Gabriele Steinhauser at gabriele.steinhauser@wsj.com and Austin Ramzy on austin.ramzy@wsj.com Catch all the politics news and updates on live coin. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates and live business news. More Topics #China Mint Specials