The Philippine Navy has dismissed China’s claim that it has “implemented maritime control and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” over Sandy Cay, a tiny sandbank in the disputed South China Sea just 3 kilometers from a key Philippine military outpost.
“We have to view this from a geopolitical perspective,” explained Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, in a radio interview on Monday. “The Chinese side got beaten. So they have to come up with an issue to divert attention.”
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV had released images showing coast guard officers unfurling a national flag on the reef, which China calls Tiexian Jiao. The sandbank sits near Thitu Island (known as Pag-asa in the Philippines), which hosts Philippine military facilities including a runway and is home to about 250 residents.
In response, the Philippines deployed a team of soldiers, coast guard, and maritime police personnel to three sandbanks near Pag-asa Island. Filipino personnel planted their national flag on at least one of the features, mirroring China’s action.
“They did not occupy the cay because when the inter-agency patrol arrived, nobody was there, no flag was there,” Trinidad added.
The White House called reports of China’s actions “deeply concerning if true,” with US National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt warning that such moves “threaten regional stability and violate international law.”
The incident comes amid ongoing Balikatan military exercises between the US and the Philippines, which China has criticized as provocative. Approximately 17,000 personnel are participating in the drills, which include missile tests and deployment of the US anti-ship missile system NEMESIS.
Both nations claim Sandy Cay is a natural feature entitled to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea under international law. Security experts suggest China’s interest may lie in strengthening claims to nearby Subi Reef, a militarized artificial island created during Beijing’s large-scale land reclamation program between 2013 and 2016.
China claims most of the South China Sea through its “nine-dash line” that overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of several Southeast Asian nations. An international tribunal rejected Beijing’s expansive claims in 2016, a ruling China does not recognize.
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