Tiny South China Sea Bar is Latest Flashpoint Between China, Philippines

Philippine legislator Dadah Kiram Ismula posed next to a national flag, which was followed by the China Coast Guard posting a similar photo the next day on the same sand bar. Image via Atin Ito (left) and the China Coast Guard (Right)

A social media photo duel is underway between China and the Philippines over who can claim a small sand bar in the South China Sea as part of their territory.

The spat began on Sunday when Philippine lawmaker Dadah Kiram Ismula and an activist with the Atin Ito Coalition traveled in a rubber dinghy to plant a flag on Sandy Cay.

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by Eric Olander

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