Philippine officers say a mission visited Sandy Cay reef within the disputed South China Sea and unfurled the nationwide flag.
The Philippines has denied a Chinese language Coast Guard report that China had “handled” a scenario involving six Filipino personnel, whom Beijing accused of illegally touchdown on a tiny reef within the disputed South China Sea.
Chinese language Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun mentioned in an announcement on Sunday night that six personnel from the Philippines had earlier that day “illegally boarded” the Tiexian Reef, often known as Sandy Cay, regardless of “warnings and dissuasion” from the Chinese language aspect.
Liu mentioned that Chinese language Coast Guard personnel then “boarded the reef and investigated and handled it in accordance with the regulation”. The assertion didn’t present additional particulars on the encounter or the identities of the six individuals from the Philippines.
“We urge the Philippines to instantly cease its infringement,” Liu mentioned, including that the actions “violated China’s territorial sovereignty”.
Officers in Manila denied on Monday that China had taken over Sandy Cay or {that a} Philippine mission on Sunday to Sandy Cay – a reef over which sand has collected – was interfered with by Chinese language maritime forces within the disputed space.
Sandy Cay, a part of the Spratly Islands, lies close to Thitu Island, additionally referred to as Pag-asa and the positioning of a Philippine army facility.
“Philippine authorities officers have categorically denied that China has seized Sandy Cay or has now completely taken over Sandy Cay within the South China Sea, describing the assertion that was launched by means of Chinese language state media over the weekend as an ‘outright lie’, as a part of Beijing’s disinformation ways,” Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo mentioned, reporting from Manila within the Philippines.
“To show this level they confirmed media a latest, as latest as Sunday morning really, a mission to Sandy Cay by the Philippine Coastguard and the Philippine Navy. Exhibiting pictures and movies of the Philippine flag being unfurled on two of the three sand bars that make up Sandy Cay within the South China Sea,” Lo mentioned.
Lo mentioned Philippine officers confirmed that Chinese language vessels have been current close to the disputed reef throughout the mission on Sunday, however denied that the Philippine mission was “handled” as claimed by China.
Chinese language state media mentioned on Saturday that the nation’s coastguard had “applied maritime management” over the Tiexian Reef throughout the center of April. China’s state broadcaster CCTV mentioned within the report that the Chinese language coastguard landed on Sandy Cay to “train sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the reef, perform an “inspection” and “acquire video proof concerning the unlawful actions of the Philippine aspect”.
The broadcaster revealed {a photograph} of 5 individuals, clad in black, standing on the uninhabited reef as a darkish inflatable boat bobbed within the close by water. One other shot confirmed 4 coastguard officers posing with a nationwide flag on the reef’s white floor, in what CCTV described as a “vow of sovereignty”.
In response to studies, there is no such thing as a signal that China has completely occupied the reef.
Additionally on Monday, the Philippine and US militaries launched three weeks of annual joint workout routines, referred to as “Balikatan” or “shoulder to shoulder”, which is able to embrace an built-in air and missile defence simulation for the primary time.
Beijing has mentioned the manoeuvres “undermine regional strategic stability” and accused Manila of “collusion with international locations exterior the area”.
Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, mentioned the unfurling of a Chinese language flag by the coastguard on Sandy Cay was important when it comes to stating declare to the reef, and the timing prematurely of the annual US-Philippine army workout routines.
“So it appears that evidently with the staking of this Chinese language flag on this reef, it’s sending a message not solely to Manila but in addition to Washington,” Yu mentioned.