China Plants Flag on Disputed South China Sea Territory

Newsweek

28-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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China has unfurled the national coast guard near a Philippine-controlled island, as territorial tensions continue between the two neighbors.
Newsweek reached out to China's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Beijing asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitral tribunal decision rejecting China's position.
While China's claims overlap with those of several neighbors, Chinese coast guard patrols and paramilitary occupations of features within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have led to dramatic standoffs and pushed the United States' treaty ally to pursue new weapons purchases.
What To Know
On Thursday, state media outlet Global Times released images shared by China's Coast Guard showing personnel displaying their national banner while standing on Sandy Cay, asserting their claim over the feature sometime in mid-April.
Sandy Cay is a group of sandbars located in the Spratly Islands west near Thitu Island, where the Philippines maintains a modest military outpost and a coast guard station.
The Chinese coast guard displays its national flag on disputed Sandy Cay in the South China Sea on April 26, 2025.
The Chinese coast guard displays its national flag on disputed Sandy Cay in the South China Sea on April 26, 2025.
On Sunday, the Philippines dispatched navy and coast guard personnel to Sandy Cay, during which they unfurled their flag.
The "illegal presence" of Chinese coast guard and maritime militia ships was noted nearby, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The mission "reinforces the Philippines' commitment to safeguarding its maritime domain, adhering to international law, and ensuring peace and stability in the region," he said.
Liu Dejun, spokesperson for China's coast guard, accused the Philippine side of "illegally landing" and, in a statement, reiterated China's claim over the Spratly Islands.
"We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop the infringements," Liu said.
China's flag display was more of a "tactical move" aimed at the Philippines rather than a test of the country's seven-decade-old security alliance with the United States, Lyle Morris, an analyst at the Asia Society Policy Institute and former Department of Defense China expert, told the Financial Times.
"This puts more pressure on the Philippines to respond in some way," Morris said. "If China were ever to physically occupy the feature, the Philippines would likely feel compelled to respond. What kind of response is unclear."
What People Are Saying
South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing think tank, wrote on X: "China has no intention of occupying this uninhabited feature. It merely asserts its sovereignty against the backdrop of the Philippines' attempts to do so."
Ryan Hass, a China scholar at the Brookings Institution think tank, wrote on X: "Secretary Hegseth provided robust rhetorical support for strengthening U.S. deterrence when he visited Manila in late March. Less than one month later, Beijing is taking an incremental step to challenge the status quo. This will be a space to watch."
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What Happens Next
Neither China nor the Philippines are likely to give ground on the issue.
Until May 10, the Southeast Asian country is conducting its annual Balikatan exercise, involving around 14,000 troops and simulated fires with the U.S.'s NMESIS anti-ship missile system. The deployment of this system in the Philippines for the drill drew condemnation from China.