China seizes reefs played in the South China Sea

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China has taken a re-style a few kilometers from the most important military surface of the Philippines in the South China Sea, increasing the risk of leaving between the two rival plaintiffs.

The China Coast Guard “implemented maritime control and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” on Sandy Cay this month, the military channel of the state broadcaster CCTV reported On Saturday morning. He said that the officers of the Coast Guard had developed the Chinese flag to declare sovereignty over the reef on the Spratly Islands, showing a photograph of the event.

The movement marks the first time in many years that Beijing, who claims that the South China Sea almost completely, has officially planted its flag in another previously unemployed terrestrial feature.

Comes as the Philippines and their allies are driving balikatanIts largest annual military exercise, which will include coastal defense and island confiscation exercises. They will be held from next week in the Philippine territory closest to the Spratlys.

Although only a sand bank that measures just over 200 square meters, Sandy Cay has a strategic value for China because international law grants him a territorial sea. That radius of 12 nautical kilometers overlap with Thittus Island, the South China Sea reef, which Philippines uses to track Chinese movements in the area.

The official sovereignty statement on Sandy Cay de Beijing will raise fear that Beijing intends to build unemployed reefs and banks.

Over the past two years, Manila has increased the coastal guard patrols and sent scientific teams to investigate report From Chinese claim activity to Sandy Cay and three other reefs further south.

Some maritime experts argue that the new Chinese claim is unlikely because the artificial islands built and militarized by Beijing for the last decade have given their military and coastal presence and scope.

So far, there is no sign of a permanent Chinese occupation of sand or construction. A Philippine Maritime Safety Officer said on Saturday that the Chinese coast guard had left after developing the flag.

But the Official Sovereignty Declaration stated that China could “increase its harassment against us on Pag-ASA,” he added, by the name of Philippines for Thightu.

The Filipino Coast Guard has been operating a control base in Thight since the end of 2023, but Manila is now updating a track and another infrastructure on the island. The building is part of the efforts to make the southern China’s marine crust more habitable and retreate against more and more aggressive Chinese activity.

China’s domestic law gives its coastal guard Mandate to board and inspect Foreign vessels “intruded” in the waters claimed by Beijing and detain their crews. This increases the risk of clashes with the Philippine military and a coastal guard in Thight, in Waters China now treats its territorial sea.

China’s military assets are much stronger than Thitu. Its facilities in Subi Reef include surface missiles in the air, hangars, a track, radar and a shelter port of deep water. But since it is only classified as a low elevation of the tide, Subi lacks a territorial sea under international law.