China claims control over disputed reef in South China Sea
Kyiv • UNN
Chinese coast guard establishes control over Sandy Cay, raising the flag of the PRC. The reef is of strategic importance as it allows control of Titu Island.
China has announced that it has established control over the disputed Sandy Cay reef, which is located a few kilometers from the most important Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea. This is reported by the Financial Times (FT) with reference to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, reports UNN.
Details
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the Chinese Coast Guard has "introduced maritime control and exercises sovereign jurisdiction" over Sandy Cay. In particular, coast guard officers unfurled the Chinese flag, declaring sovereignty over the reef in the Spratly Islands area. Chinese television also published a corresponding photo.
This is the first time in many years that Beijing, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has officially established its flag on a previously unoccupied facility
It is noted that the capture of the reef took place against the background of joint exercises of the Philippines and the United States called Balikatan - the largest annual military maneuvers, which will begin next week and will be held near the Spratly Islands.
Despite the fact that Sandy Cay is just a sandy shore with an area of more than 200 square meters, it is of strategic importance to China, as international law grants it a territory in the sea with a radius of 12 nautical miles. This territory includes Titu Island, a reef in the South China Sea that the Philippines uses to track Chinese movements in the area.
The Philippine Coast Guard has been operating an observation base on Titu since the end of 2023, but Manila is now upgrading the runway and other infrastructure on the island. The construction is part of an effort to make the reefs of the South China Sea more habitable and to counter increasingly aggressive activities by Beijing.
At the same time, according to FT, there is no sign of a permanent Chinese occupation of Sandy Cay or construction on it. A representative of the Philippine Maritime Security said on Saturday, April 26, that the Chinese Coast Guard "left" after the flag was unfurled.
Over the past two years, Manila has stepped up coast guard patrols and sent scientific teams to investigate reports of Chinese reclamation activities on Sandy Cay and three other reefs.
Some experts have concluded that further seizures by China are unlikely, as the artificial islands built and militarized by Beijing over the past decade have provided its military and coast guard with sufficient presence and coverage.
China's domestic law empowers the coast guard to stop and inspect foreign vessels that "invade" waters claimed by Beijing and to detain their crews. This increases the risk of clashes with the Philippine military and coast guard in waters near Titu, which China now considers its own.
China's military forces have more capacity than the Titu outpost. Its facilities on the neighboring Subi Reef include surface-to-air missiles, hangars, a runway, radar and a deep-water shelter port. But because it is classified only as an elevation where the tide is observed, Subi does not have a territorial sea under international law.
Let us remind you
The Philippines and the United States started the joint exercise "Balikatan" with the participation of 17,000 troops against the background of tension with China. For three weeks, they will practice a battle scenario near the South China Sea to deter Beijing.