China claims control over disputed reef in the South China Sea.
The Skirmish Over Sandy Cay:
The South China Sea is stirring up trouble once again, as China has asserted its dominance over the disputed Sandy Cay, a reef barely 2 kilometers from the Philippine's vital military outpost. This bold move by China's Coast Guard has elevated the risk of a fresh confrontation between these two competing claimants.
According to CCTV, the military channel of China's state broadcaster, the Coast Guard implemented control and exercised sovereign jurisdiction over Sandy Cay this month, unfurling the Chinese flag to declare ownership. This claim represents the first official occupancy by China of an uninhabited land feature in several years. As China claims almost the entire South China Sea, this flag-planting could be a foreshadowing of more territorial grabs to come.
This provocative act comes at a sensitive time, as the Philippines, along with their ally the U.S., are about to commence their annual Balikatan military exercises. These drills, which will be held on Philippine territory closest to the Spratly Islands, include coastal defense and island seizure practices.
Strategically, Sandy Cay holds significance for China due to international law, as it grants it a territorial sea. This sea's 12-nautical-mile radius overlaps with Thitu Island, a reef the Philippines uses to monitor Chinese activities in the area.
The White House expressed "deep concern" over this development, emphasizing that such actions endanger regional stability and violate international law. James Hewitt, the National Security Council spokesperson, stated that they were coordinating closely with partners to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Beijing's official claim of Sandy Cay's sovereignty will stoke fears of further Chinese construction on unoccupied reefs. Over the past two years, the Philippines has stepped up patrols and sent scientific teams to investigate reports of Chinese reclamation activities at Sandy Cay and several reefs to its south.
While there's currently no evidence of a permanent Chinese occupation or construction on Sandy Cay, Chinese coastguard forces appear to have abandoned the area after declaring sovereignty. However, the declaration could signal increased harassment toward the Philippines' main base at Pag-Asa (Thitu Island).
The Philippine coastguard has maintained a monitoring base on Thitu since late 2023, and Manila is now expanding a runway and other infrastructure on the island. These renovations are part of efforts to make the Philippines' South China Sea reefs more habitable and to counter aggressive Chinese activities.
Lyle Morris, a former Pentagon China expert now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, highlighted Sandy Cay's lasting tension between China and the Philippines. He noted that China has long maintained a near-constant presence around the reef through its maritime militia vessels, a presence that has intensified since the Philippines improved its fortifications on Thitu Island and its runway.
Morris downplayed the repercussions for the U.S., arguing that it's primarily a tactical move targeting the Philippines. However, he suggested that the Chinese action might compel the Philippines to react. The nature of the Philippine response remains unclear.
This latest Chinese move is unfolding amidst the worsening U.S.-China trade war and intense scrutiny from U.S. allies, who are eager to observe how the Trump administration handles Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, a former National Security Council senior director for east Asia during the Biden administration, argued that China has been increasing pressure on Philippine outposts for years, although the timing of the action coincides with an escalating U.S.-China trade war and poses a challenge for the U.S. to respond without alarming its ally, the Philippines.
Additionally, China's Coast Guard has the mandate to board, inspect, and detain foreign vessels intruding into waters claimed by China, increasing the odds of confrontations with the Philippine military and coastguard at Thitu, which China now treats as its territorial sea. While China's military prowess dwarfs that of Thitu, Subi Reef, a nearby territory with surface-to-air missiles, hangars, a runway, radar, and a deepwater shelter port, lacks a territorial sea under international law.
- The Philippines has expressed concern over China's Coast Guard upgrading its presence on disputed territories like Sandy Cay, fearing it could lead to increased Chinese construction on unoccupied reefs.
- China's assertion of sovereignty over Sandy Cay, as reported by CCTV, has raised concerns in the politics and general news domain, as it could potentially escalate war-and-conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The Coast Guard of Beijing is responsible for enforcing China's territorial claims, including boarding, inspecting, and detaining foreign vessels in waters claimed by China, leading to possible confrontations with the Philippine military and coastguard.
- The disputed Sandy Cay, located near the Philippines' vital military outpost, has become a focal point of tension between China and the Philippines, especially as China continues to typify such territories as part of its claimed South China Sea.
