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3w ago

Philippines and China Engage in Flag Standoff Over Disputed Sandy Cay

Both nations assert sovereignty over the South China Sea sandbank, exchanging symbolic flag-planting operations as tensions rise during US-Philippine military drills.

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Philippine and U.S. soldiers walk past a MADIS or Marine Air Defense Integrated System during the annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and Philippine troops called "Balikatan" or shoulder-to-shoulder, at a naval base in San Antonio, Zambales province, Philippines, April 27, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
Chinese coast guard offices display their national flag on a tiny sandbar in the disputed Sandy Cay in April, 2025.

Overview

  • The Philippines and China have each planted their national flags on Sandy Cay, a disputed sandbank in the Spratly Islands, to assert competing sovereignty claims.
  • Philippine officials deny China's claim of seizing Sandy Cay, stating their interagency team landed on the sandbank on April 27 and observed no permanent Chinese presence.
  • China's coast guard claims to have implemented 'maritime control' over the reef earlier in April, accusing Filipino personnel of illegal landings, which Manila refutes as disinformation.
  • The standoff coincides with the ongoing US-Philippine Balikatan military exercises, which Beijing criticizes as destabilizing and provocative.
  • Sandy Cay's proximity to Thitu Island, a Philippine military outpost, underscores its strategic importance in the broader South China Sea sovereignty dispute.