Manila [Philippines]: The Philippines has strongly rebuked a recent claim by Chinese state media asserting control over the disputed Tiexian Reef in the South China Sea, calling the report “reckless” and factually incorrect.
Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay Reef, lies near Thitu Island (locally called Pagasa), where the Philippines maintains a military presence and operates a coast guard monitoring facility.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday claimed that the China Coast Guard had “implemented maritime control” over the reef earlier this month. The claim was accompanied by a photo of four Chinese coast guard personnel standing with the national flag on the reef’s sandy surface, which CCTV described as a “declaration of sovereignty.”
In response, Philippine National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya firmly rejected the claim, stating, “The assertion by the China Coast Guard that the [reef] has been captured is entirely untrue.”
Countering Beijing’s narrative, the Philippine Coast Guard released its own image, showing Filipino sailors hoisting the national flag on Tiexian Reef during an early morning mission conducted the day before China’s reported visit.
According to a report by the Taipei Times, there is no evidence that China has established a permanent presence or constructed any facilities on the reef, which consists of a cluster of sandbanks in the Spratly Islands — a region marked by overlapping territorial claims from multiple Southeast Asian nations.
The latest incident adds to the growing list of confrontations between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, where tensions have escalated over territorial sovereignty and resource exploitation. Despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling rejecting China’s sweeping maritime claims, Beijing continues to assert near-total control over the region.
Both nations have also accused each other of contributing to environmental degradation in the disputed waters.
Meanwhile, the United States and the Philippines are currently engaged in joint military drills under the “Balikatan” exercises. Beijing has expressed alarm over the exercises, calling them a destabilizing force in the region. Chinese naval activity, including the movement of the aircraft carrier Shandong within just 2.23 nautical miles (4.1 km) of the Philippines’ northern Babuyan Island, has heightened concerns about potential flashpoints.