Chinese coast guard raises flag on contested South China Sea reef
Chinese Coast Guard ship sailing some 60 nautical miles (111 kilometres, 69 miles) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, on January 11, 2025. (AFP Photo/ PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD (PCG))
China has taken control of a disputed reef in the South China Sea near a major Philippines military outpost, according to Chinese state media reports.
The state broadcaster CCTV reported Saturday that China has “enforced maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” over Sandy Cay reef, which Beijing calls Tiexian Jiao. The uninhabited reef is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Images released by CCTV showed China Coast Guard officers unfurling the Chinese flag on the reef earlier in April.
The coast guard reportedly landed “to exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction,” conduct an “inspection,” and “collect video evidence regarding the illegal activities of the Philippines side.”
The move comes as the Philippines participates in joint military drills with the United States, exercises that Beijing has criticized as “destabilizing” to the region.
However, the Financial Times, citing an unnamed Philippines maritime official, reported that the Chinese Coast Guard departed after raising the flag, suggesting this was not a permanent occupation of the reef.
The incident marks the latest development in an ongoing confrontation between China and the Philippines over contested waters. Both nations have accused each other of causing ecological degradation in several disputed landforms in the South China Sea.
China asserted control over nearly the entire South China Sea region, while multiple countries, including the Philippines, maintain competing territorial claims.
