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In recent developments, China has declared sovereignty over a disputed reef in the South China Sea, heightening tensions with the Philippines just before US-Philippine military exercises in the vicinity. The Philippines dispatched navy, coastguard, and maritime police personnel to Sandy Cay and nearby sandbanks in the Spratly Islands to assert sovereignty, as reported in a statement on X.
This action followed China’s announcement of having implemented maritime control over the reef, marking a rare official claim of sovereignty in the contested waters. The timing coincides with upcoming joint military drills between Philippine and American forces near the Spratlys.
Sandy Cay, though a small sandbank, holds strategic importance due to its potential categorization as a rock, which could enable claims to a surrounding territorial sea overlapping with Thitu Island, a key military position for the Philippines.
The White House expressed significant concern over the situation, indicating that such actions threaten regional stability and violate international law. China’s broad claims over the South China Sea were previously deemed inconsistent with international law by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016. Besides the Philippines, other nations such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei also have claims in the area.
Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s tenure began in June 2022, tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated. China, possessing the world’s largest coastguard and maritime militia, has fortified military bases on artificial islands across the region. Sandy Cay is one of several reefs where the Philippines suspects China of planning reclamation and militarization activities.
The China Coast Guard reported that its officers investigated activities by Philippine officials on Sandy Cay, labeling them as “illegal.” There were no reports of direct engagement, although footage from the Philippine Coast Guard depicted no Chinese presence on the reef. However, ship tracking data indicated the lingering presence of a Chinese coastguard vessel and maritime militia around the area.
