Beijing’s flag-planting in South China Sea revives tensions with Manila

Digest opened free editor

Rola Khaleda, FT editor, chooses her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

China’s move to declare sovereignty over the disputed coral reefs in the South China Sea has sparked a new confrontation with the Philippines, which sparked tensions between the competitors on the eve of military training in the nearby American Philippines.

The Philippines sent marine police officers, coast guard and maritime police to Sandy Kay and two surrounding sand officers in the Spartli Islands on Sunday to “support sovereignty in the country, sovereign rights and jurisdiction” and the presentation of the national flag there, according to a statement published on X.

The move came a day after that China said that it had “carried out naval control and practiced the sovereign state” over the coral reefs by showing its flag there – the first official announcement of sovereignty over the feature of the land or near it in the disputed waters.

The row comes above Sandy Kai at a time when the Philippine and American forces are scheduled to start coastal defense training and Al Jazeera training on Filipino lands closest to Spatlys on Monday.

Although a sand bank measures more than 200 square meters, Sandy Cay has a strategic value because its classification as a rock can allow the nation to control it to demand a regional sea around it. The Qatar Rulings over 12 miles interfere with Thutu island, the most important military foothold in the region.

The White House said on Saturday that China’s reports seized Sandy Kai were “deeply related to if it was true.” “Acts such as these threaten regional stability and violate international law,” said James Hiite, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

China claims almost the South China Sea, but the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016 ruled that this does not agree with international law. The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei, all of whom call part of the strategic sea and some islands and coral reefs.

But Beijing has been repeatedly clashed with the Philippines since Manila’s resumption to confirm her naval rights after president Ferdinand Marcus Junior took office in June 2022.

Beijing outperforms all the competitors because it has the largest coast guard and marine militias in the world, and has built military bases with missiles, radars and air force assets on a number of industrial islands in the region.

Sandy Kai is one of the four coral reefs where Manila suspects in China to plan land reclamation work, followed by more militarization.

The Chinese Coast Guard said on Sunday that law enforcement officers had landed on Sandy Kai on Sunday for investigation and “dealing with” what was called “illegal actions” for Filipino officials.

None of the two sides mentioned directly. Filipino Coast Guard has not shown any Chinese presence on coral reefs. However, according to the Philippine Coast Guard and the data tracking data reviewed by The Financial Times, the Chinese Coast Guard and many Chinese marine militia ships continue to overcome.