A tiny sandbar within the disputed South China Sea has turn into the newest flashpoint in tensions between China and the Philippines, with either side displaying its flag to bolster competing claims on the island.
Earlier this month, members of the Chinese language Coast Guard landed on the disputed reef, Sandy Cay, unfurled a flag and “exercised sovereign jurisdiction,” Chinese language state media reported on Thursday.
They left the island by Sunday, when the Philippines deployed its personal personnel to the sandbar. Hours later, Beijing referred to as the act an “unlawful boarding,” saying it had “indeniable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands, a sequence of dozens of slivers of land, together with Sandy Cay, within the South China Sea, and its surrounding waters.
The standoff comes days after america and the Philippines started their annual joint military drills within the Philippines, which China has criticized as undermining regional stability. The USA is a treaty ally of the Philippines and has pledged to return to assistance from Manila within the occasion of an assault.
China’s expansive territorial claims within the South China Sea have flared tensions within the area for years. It has constructed up a big army presence within the Spratlys, organising a army base on reclaimed land round Subi Reef, which is close to Thitu Island, the Philippines’ most vital army outpost within the Spratlys.
Some observers mentioned China may be attempting to claim management of Sandy Cay — which covers an space of 200 sq. meters, or about 2,150 sq. ft — to legitimize its declare on Subi Reef, the naturally occurring components of that are submerged throughout excessive tide.
“Even when they created a synthetic island, there’s no territorial sea,” mentioned Antonio Carpio, a former Supreme Courtroom justice who helped the Philippines win a landmark international ruling in opposition to China over its claims within the South China Sea. “The one means they’ll legalize that’s to get Sandy Cay.”
Euan Graham, a senior analyst on the Australian Strategic Coverage Institute, mentioned the newest improvement mirrored a shift in China’s strategy within the South China Sea.
“They’re not piling on large slabs of concrete or pouring on the PLA,” Mr. Graham mentioned, referring to the Folks’s Liberation Military of China. “They’re doing a flag waving ceremony, hopping off and claiming sovereignty and testing the waters to see what occurs. The attention-grabbing half is that the Philippines went straight in and successfully copied the identical modus operandi.”
He added: “The important thing query is, what’s the U.S. perspective? Will they again their ally if it will get extra heated, or will they successfully say, ‘Properly, no, we’re not going to go to battle over a foolish piece of sand.’”
On Monday morning, Jonathan Malaya, the assistant director common of the Philippines’ Nationwide Safety Council, pushed again on China’s declare that Beijing had seized the reef and urged it to “act with restraint and never improve tensions” within the South China Sea.
“It isn’t to the good thing about any nation if this stuff are taking place, neither is it to the good thing about any nation if such irresponsible bulletins and statements are launched to the general public and to the world,” he advised reporters.
Beijing claims about 90 % of the South China Sea, components of that are additionally claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Manila has been on the forefront of the territorial battle, saying that Chinese language ships have been blocking entry to fishing websites in addition to oil and gasoline deposits within the waters which can be in its unique financial zone.
These tensions have escalated dramatically in recent years, elevating the danger that Washington might be drawn right into a battle.
Each the Philippines and China have printed images of their very own flags being displayed on the reefs. The Chinese language state broadcaster CCTV printed {a photograph} of 4 folks standing on the uninhabited reef.
Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippines Coast Guard, advised reporters that Manila had deployed officers to test whether or not the Chinese language authorities had put in any infrastructure or monitoring units on Sandy Cay however discovered nothing. However he added {that a} Chinese language Coast Guard vessel and 7 China maritime militia vessels remained close to the island.
