Philippines refutes Chinese claims over disputed reef
The Philippines has rejected a report from China’s Coast Guard which claimed that China had “dealt with” six Filipino personnel who allegedly landed on a small reef in the South China Sea. Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun stated that the six Filipino personnel had illegally boarded the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, despite warnings from China. Liu added that Chinese forces subsequently boarded the reef, investigated the situation, and handled it in accordance with Chinese law, urging the Philippines to stop its actions, which were said to violate China’s territorial sovereignty.
Manila, however, denied China’s assertion that it had taken control of Sandy Cay, a reef located near Thitu Island in the disputed Spratly Islands. Philippine officials dismissed the Chinese report as an "outright lie," describing it as part of a disinformation campaign. They further emphasized that a recent Philippine Coast Guard and Navy mission to the reef, which took place on Sunday, was not interrupted by Chinese forces. Photos and videos from the mission showed the Philippine flag raised on two sandbars of Sandy Cay, reinforcing their claim.
While Chinese state media reported that China’s Coast Guard had conducted maritime control over the reef in mid-April, including landing on Sandy Cay to assert sovereignty and gather evidence of alleged Philippine activities, no evidence of permanent Chinese occupation of the reef was presented.
In a related development, the Philippine and US militaries began their annual joint exercises, named "Balikatan," which will include an integrated air and missile defense simulation for the first time. These exercises were criticized by Beijing as undermining regional stability and accused Manila of colluding with outside powers.
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