China and the Philippines Both Assert Claims Over a Tiny Reef in the South China Sea

Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard crews landed on Sandy Cay Reef in the South China Sea to claim as it theirs over the weekend of April 26 and 27. Images via the Chinese and Philippine Coast Guards.

A small reef no larger than a few dozen square meters was the latest flash point in the escalating territorial feud in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China this weekend.

The drama began last Thursday when a China Coast Guard (CCG) crew landed on Sandy Cay reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands, and unfurled a Chinese flag. This sparked a furious reaction from the Philippines that swiftly dispatched their own Coast Guard crew to the reef where they too unfurled a flag to challenge China’s claim to what is effectively little more than a sandbar.

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by Eric Olander

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