The China Coast Guard has raised the Chinese national flag on Sandy Cay, a disputed reef in the South China Sea, according to a report by Chinese state media. The move, described as “enforcing maritime control and exercising sovereign jurisdiction,” took place earlier this month.
Photographs released by Chinese media show coast guard officers unfurling the flag on the reef, which China refers to as Tiexian Jiao. Sandy Cay lies just over 3 kilometers from Thitu Island, known locally in the Philippines as Pag-asa, where a key Philippine military base and about 250 civilians are located.
China’s Global Times stated that officers landed on Sandy Cay to inspect the area, document activities, and clean up debris such as plastic waste and wooden sticks. The report emphasized that the operation aimed to protect the reef and monitor any “illegal activities.
“The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Manila. In January, China claimed it had intercepted Philippine naval vessels near Sandy Cay, accusing them of unauthorized landing attempts and illegal sand sample collection. The Philippines, in response, said its coast guard had been monitoring the area to check for possible Chinese island-building activities.
Sandy Cay, a tiny 200-square-meter sandbank in the Spratly Islands, is claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Beijing argues that the reef is a naturally formed feature, granting it rights to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea under international law — a claim that directly overlaps with Philippine claims around Thitu Island.
The latest developments further fuel tensions in the South China Sea, a region where territorial disputes continue to spark confrontations between China and its neighbors.