The Chinese Coast Guard seized a disputed reef near a major military outpost of the Philippines in the South China Sea, reported Beijing’s state media, triggering the age-old tensions with Manila.

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China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, released images of four officers, wearing all black and holding the Chinese flag, on the disputed, uninhabited reef of Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands.

Sandy Cay is near a Philippine military outpost on Thitu Island, which Manila uses to track Chinese movements in the area.

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea despite claims from other countries and an international ruling that said Beijing’s position has no legal basis.

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The Chinese Coast Guard has reportedly left the 200 square metre island and there is no sign that China is permanently occupying it.

The White House said reports of China seizing the reef were “deeply concerning if true”.

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China and the Philippines have engaged in confrontations in the contested South China Sea waters for months. Manila is currently taking part in joint military drills with the United States named “Balikatan”, or “shoulder to shoulder”, which will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation for the first time.
Beijing has slammed the drill and termed it ‘destabilising’.

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The Chinese Coast Guard “implemented maritime control” over the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, during the middle of April, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday (April 26). The sandbank, part of the Spratly Islands, lies near Thitu Island, and is also called Pag-asa.

CCTV said the Coast Guard landed on Sandy Cay to “exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the reef, carry out an “inspection” and “collect video evidence regarding the illegal activities of the Philippine side”.
There are no signs of China permanently occupying the reef or building a structure on it.
Beijing and Manila have been blaming each other for causing the ecological degradation of several disputed landforms in the South China Sea.

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There have been wrangles over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has grown in the recent years.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have staked claims on islands and various zones in the sea.