China accused the Philippines of landing five personnel on Sandy Cay on May 3 and called the move "illegal," while Manila said it would dispatch ships to remove Chinese vessels it accused of conducting illegal research. Manila reported spotting four Chinese vessels and warned it could deploy aircraft and ships to force them away. The episode adds to ongoing tensions over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.
China and Philippines Trade Accusations Over Sandy Cay, Escalating South China Sea Tensions
FILE PHOTO: National flags of China and the Philippines are seen in Beijing, China, January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo
Beijing on May 3 accused the Philippines of putting personnel ashore on Sandy Cay, a disputed sandbar in the South China Sea, while Manila said it would send ships to expel Chinese vessels it alleges were conducting illegal research.
China's Coast Guard said it had identified five Philippine personnel who landed on the uninhabited feature and described the action as "illegal," according to state-run Global Times. The Chinese report did not specify any further measures Beijing planned to take.
Manila said it had earlier dispatched its coast guard to Sandy Cay after Chinese state media circulated footage showing Chinese coast guard personnel arriving on the sandbar carrying a Chinese flag. A spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard also said on Sunday that Manila had detected four Chinese vessels conducting what it called illegal research inside Philippine-claimed waters and warned it could deploy aircraft and ships to force them to leave.
Broader Context
Tensions between the two U.S. ally Philippines and China have risen repeatedly over competing territorial claims across the South China Sea, where Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire waterway. Incidents like the one at Sandy Cay add to a pattern of close encounters and diplomatic protests that raise the risk of miscalculation.
Diplomatic Responses: China’s foreign ministry and the Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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