China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost: report
This handout photo taken on March 21, 2024 and received from the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR) shows an aerial view of Philippine scientists inspecting Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in Spratly Islands, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, according to Beijing's state media, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. The Chinese coast guard "implemented maritime control" over the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, during the middle of April 2025, state broadcaster CCTV reported on April 26, 2025. - Philippine Coast Guard/AFP
BEIJING: The Chinese coast guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, according to Beijing's state media, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other regional countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.
China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is currently taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the United States that Beijing has slammed as destabilising.
The Chinese coast guard "implemented maritime control" over the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, during the middle of April, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday (April 26).
The tiny sandbank, part of the Spratly Islands, lies near Thitu Island, also called Pag-asa and the site of a Philippine military facility.
CCTV said the coast guard landed on Sandy Cay to "exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction" over the reef, carry out an "inspection" and "collect video evidence regarding the illegal activities of the Philippine side".
The broadcaster published a photograph of five black-clad people standing on the uninhabited reef as a dark inflatable boat bobbed in the nearby water.
Another shot showed four coast guard officials posing with a national flag on the reef's white surface, in what CCTV described as a "vow of sovereignty".
The group also "cleaned up leftover plastic bottles, wooden sticks and other debris and garbage on the reef", the broadcaster said.
The Financial Times reported an unnamed Philippine maritime official as saying that the Chinese coast guard had left after unfurling the flag.
There do not appear to be any signs that China has permanently occupied the reef or has built a structure on it.
In recent months, Beijing and Manila have blamed each other for causing what they describe as the ecological degradation of several disputed landforms in the South China Sea.
China's state news agency Xinhua on Friday cited a report from the natural resources ministry that it said "debunked" Manila's allegations that Beijing's land reclamation projects had harmed the local environment.
Philippine forces are present on Thitu Island and Manila inaugurated a coast guard monitoring base there in 2023 in an effort to counter what it describes as Chinese aggression.
On Monday, the Philippine and US militaries launched three weeks of annual joint exercises called "Balikatan", or "shoulder to shoulder", which will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation for the first time.
US Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn said at the opening ceremony in Manila that the two side would "demonstrate not just our will to uphold our mutual defence treaty in existence since 1951 but our matchless capability to do so".
"Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity," he said, without specifying a common threat.
Beijing said the manoeuvres "undermine regional strategic stability" and accused Manila of "collusion with countries outside the region". - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Two teenagers apologise for torturing hamster
Compiled by BENJAMIN LEE, and TWO teenagers in Johor, who were seen in a video torturing a hamster, have apologised for their behaviour, China Press reported. The gave their word that they would not repeat such a misdeed. The boys, who are from a a lion and dragon dance troupe, said that they regretted their action. It was reported that the teenagers had filmed themselves dropping a hamster repeatedly on the ground and throwing it up in the air using a ping pong paddle. They also put the hamster in a PVC pipe before blowing it out like a blowdart. Throughout the video, the teenagers could be seen laughing at their own antics. The video sparked an uproar on social media. Many netizens called for the boys to be removed from the lion and dragon dance troupe. > Sin Chew Daily ran a report quoting the United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) as saying that the perennial shortage of teachers in vernacular schools was due to the Chinese being uninterested in joining the teaching profession. Its chairman Cheah Lek Aee acknowledged that being a teacher was not easy, adding that many Chinese youth were put off by the sacrifices required. For example, he pointed out that teachers might have to accept postings to remote locations. As such, he said the educationist group would work closely with the government to address the issue which has persisted for decades. He noted that the Education Ministry had increased the placings for the Bachelor of Education programme specifically for Chinese vernacular schools from 784 in 2024 to 1,679 this year. With Jiao Zong's help in promoting the programme, the number of applicants rose from 4,311 last year to 6,296 this year. Cheah also urged the government to reinstate a holiday programme on teacher training. The programme was designed to allow temporary teachers to receive training during school holidays and become fully qualified teachers within a year. (The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
China urges EU to stop 'provoking trouble' in South China Sea dispute
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr following their meeting at Malacanang Palace in Manila on June 2, 2025. - AP BEIJING: The Chinese embassy in the Philippines advised Manila on Thursday (June 5) not to "fantasise" about relying on outside forces to resolve the South China Sea dispute, and urged the European Union to stop "provoking trouble". An embassy spokesperson made the comments after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited the Philippine capital and voiced concern over China's activities in the busy waterway, where its claims overlap those of some South-East Asian nations. "The EU is not a party to the South China Sea disputes and has no right to interfere in the South China Sea differences between China and the Philippines," the spokesperson said in a statement on the embassy website. The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. - Reuters
Borneo Post
a day ago
- Borneo Post
China's young kitchen wizards establishing careers as on-demand chefs
This photo taken on May 18, 2025 shows dishes cooked by Xia Lu (not her real name) for her clients in Beijing, capital of China. – Xinhua photo BEIJING (June 5): A wok sizzled as garlic chives and Chinese kale hit hot oil, while pork rib and lotus root soup simmered with a bubbling sound on a stove. In addition, a whole fish, steamed and doused in soy sauce, could be spotted on the kitchen counter, neighboring a pile of spicy crawfish coated in chili oil. Ding Yuqing, 23, juggled preparation of these dishes while navigating an unfamiliar kitchen. A college student in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, she was making a hometown feast for a family who hired her to cook in their home. 'I love cooking,' she said. 'Such home-cooking visits have improved my skills, and I really enjoy cooking for others.' Ding is part of a rising wave of young Chinese embracing a new gig, that of on-demand chef. Often students, office workers or freelancers, they offer homemade meals to time-starved urbanites seeking the likes of health, comfort and a taste of home. On social media, the trend is hot. Hashtags related to 'on-demand chefs' have amassed over 1.45 billion views on Douyin and more than 35 million on 'rednote,' an app better known as Xiaohongshu. Notably, last month, a viral story about a woman earning nearly 20,000 yuan (about 2,784 U.S. dollars) a month cooking six meals a day rocketed to the top of Sina Weibo's trending list. Health on the menu For Ding, it all began with a few food photos. Over the winter break last year, she posted snapshots of her home-cooked dishes online. To her surprise, requests started rolling in, asking: 'Can you come cook for me?' 'At first, I was nervous cooking in someone else's kitchen,' she admitted. 'Now it's second nature.' She currently offers services within a 10-kilometer radius on weekends and during school breaks. Before each visit, she discusses taste preferences with her clients and asks them to supply ingredients and seasonings. After preparing meals, she also tidies up, washes dishes and even takes out the trash for her clients. For a typical order of three dishes and one soup, Ding receives a payment of 80-100 yuan. Most of her clients, she noted, are young people juggling hectic schedules. One repeat customer, a 30-year-old office worker, has hired her more than 30 times. 'This customer and her husband are both too busy to cook,' Ding explained. This photo taken on April 29, 2025 shows dishes cooked by Xia Lu (not her real name) for her clients in Beijing, capital of China. – Xinhua photo China's busy urban workers have long relied on the country's sprawling food delivery sector, which employs over 10 million scooter-riding couriers, but Ding's case may reflect a consumption upgrade, with a sizable number of urbanites willing to dig deeper into their pockets for healthier and bespoke alternatives to takeout. Li Xiaoyang, a 30-year-old from Wuhan, said this new type of service became essential for him after a bad experience with takeout left him sick for a week. 'Having someone cook for you means personalized dishes, better hygiene and a more relaxed atmosphere, whether it's a family dinner or a classmate reunion,' Li said. Entrepreneurs have taken notice of this booming market. Hu Quanyu, founder of Chef51, an on-demand platform that connects professional chefs with customers, said the service now operates in over 50 cities across China and works with more than 1,500 chefs. Hu plans to launch a new platform aimed at part-time cooking enthusiasts, allowing them to pick up orders posted by users. The system will provide basic checks like ID and health certificates. 'The new service of on-demand home cooking is more affordable and flexible for budget-conscious young consumers,' he said, adding that the trend reflects changing consumption habits among China's younger generation, who, fueled by rising incomes, are increasingly investing in health, convenience and quality of life. A report by Zhiyan Consulting underscored this shift. It showed that the value of China's health and wellness market surpassed 1 trillion yuan in 2023 — with people aged 18 to 35 accounting for 83.7 percent of this market. Side hustle turns serious China's 'on-demand economy' has diversified rapidly in recent years, with services ranging from in-home elderly care to space organization within homes. These offerings have been hailed for meeting personalized consumer demands, thus promoting consumption, but also for creating much-needed new job opportunities. Back in 2022, the Chinese government issued a guideline aimed at improving gig economy services to boost employment. The number of flexible workers in China exceeded 265 million in 2024, including 175 million engaged in platform-based gig work, according to an industry report by Hangzhou-based Gongmall, a digital solutions provider for the gig sector. By 2050, total wages in the sector are expected to exceed 50 trillion yuan. Still, the fast-growing on-demand chef industry is not without risks and shortcomings. While recognizing its contribution to flexible employment and urban lifestyles, Hu Junjie, a lawyer based in Hubei, said safety and liability concerns remain due to a lack of regulations governing this novel service. The lawyer thus called for a clearer legal framework, better protection for workers, and more oversight from relevant platforms and authorities. 'That said, China already has similar platform services like food delivery and taxi-hailing, management of which is quite mature, and thereby serves as a useful reference,' he added. For some, like Xia Lu (not her real name), the on-demand chef role has evolved from a side hustle to a full-time profession. Burned out from long working hours, the 27-year-old native of southwest China's Sichuan Province, known among her social media followers for her fiery, flavor-packed cooking, quit her job with a foreign-owned company in Beijing in late 2023. She now charges at least 128 yuan per home-cooking trip and handles up to three clients a day. While her current income, about 7,000 yuan a month, is lower than her previous job, Xia relishes the greater freedom it offers her. 'When the weather's good, I go hiking. When it rains, I rest,' she said. 'I've never felt so free and fulfilled.' She's planning to leave Beijing next summer to open a private kitchen in Yunnan, a southwestern province known for its beautiful scenery, slower pace of life and constant flow of hungry tourists. For Ding Yuqing, meanwhile, the momentum is only just beginning. 'I believe the on-demand chef industry will continue to grow,' she said. 'It not only meets the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers, but also gives passionate cooks like me a meaningful and flexible career path.'
