TaiPei, Taiwan – China and the Philippines organized rival displays of bleeding of flags on a sandblade contested in the Southern China Sea, increasing the tensions between the two nations.
The impasse took place in Sandy Cay, near the pre-publishing of the Philippines of the island of Thitu, just when the United States and the Philippines launched their annual military exercises “Balikatan”, which for the first time include an integrated air defense and missile simulation.
Sandy Cay has a strategic value because its 12 -kilometer territorial zone under international law rides the area of the island of Thitu, a key site for Manila to monitor Chinese activity in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
The last escape seems to have started on Thursday, after the Chinese state media reported that the Chinese Coast Guard had landed on the sand bench two weeks earlier, had hoisted a national flag and “exercised its sovereign jurisdiction”.
“Since 2024, the Philippines have made several attempts to send ships near the characteristics held by China at the Southern China Sea to monitor what she describes as artificial islands construction activities,” the public broadcaster of the public diffuser CCTV reported on Saturday. He published a photograph of five people dressed in black standing on the uninhabited reef like a dark inflatable boat balanced in neighboring water.
In response, the spokesperson for the Coast Guard of the Philippines, Jay Tarriela, said on Sunday that her navy, his coast guard and his police person had deployed to Sandy Cay in four rubber boats and had “observed the illegal presence” of a Chinese Coast Guard ship and seven Chinese maritime ships.
“This operation reflects the inexpressible dedication and commitment of the Philippin government to maintain the sovereignty of the country, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the Western Philippine Sea,” said Tarriela, who posted images of the Philippin flag.
The term “Western Sea of the Philippines” is used by the Philippines to refer to certain parts of the Southern China Sea which it claims, although the designation is disputed by China.
William Yang, principal analyst for Northeast Asia to the International Crisis group, said China highlights both its capacity and determination to assert its territorial affirmations throughout the Southern China Sea.
China and the Philippines have long been locked in a territorial dispute on certain parts of the Southern China Sea, a vital navigable route rich in resources and commercial roads.
Beijing affirms almost the whole sea as part of its “Nine-Dash line”, a complaint rejected by an international court in 2016, which reigned in favor of the Philippines.
Despite the decision, China continued to assert its presence through patrols, the construction of the island and militarization, while the Philippines sought to defend its affirmations through diplomatic protests and military partnerships.
“It serves as a warning to the Philippines and the other requesting states in the region that any attempt to undermine Chinese territorial integrity will be welcomed with resolved and strong Chinese responses,” Yang told Radio Free Asia.
Huang Tsung-Ting, associate researcher at the Taiwan National National Defense Research Institute, believes that China recently adopted a more defensive posture towards the Philippines at the Southern China Sea.
“Compared to 2023 at the first half of 2024, when China intensified tensions in the Southern China Sea and tried to grasp the islands and reefs as a means of putting pressure on the United States and the Philippines, its current approach is more defensive and passive,” said Huang.
The last dispute between two nations came while the American and Philippine forces conduct Balikatan annual exercises, which Beijing condemned as “provocateur”.
The increase in the flag was “a calculating decision of Beijing to show Washington and Manila that it has the capacity to establish a presence anywhere in the Southern China Sea and that Beijing is not going to go back to increased cooperation between the United States and the Philippines,” said the Yang of the International Group Crisis.
During his visit to Manila last month, the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that Washington “doubled” on his alliance with the country and that he was determined to rebuild the deterrence against China.
Huang shares a similar point of view.
“Even if the number of American troops participating in this year’s Balikatan exercise seems slightly lower – about 2,000 compared to last year – the global posture of cooperation still seems strong enough to arouse the concern of China,” he said.
Edited by Tajun Kang and Stephen Wright.