Taipei | Washington | China has seized a disputed reef just kilometres away from the Philippines’ most important military outpost in the South China Sea, raising the risk of a new stand-off between the two rival claimants.
The China Coast Guard “implemented maritime control and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” over Sandy Cay this month, the military channel of state broadcaster CCTV reported on the weekend. It said coastguard officers had unfurled the Chinese flag to declare sovereignty over the reef in the Spratly Islands, showing a photograph of the act.
