The Chinese army took the disputed Rafa Sandy Cay in the South China Sea. This is a strategic territory for China, because it is located close to the Filipino's important military institution – reports the Financial Times.
Key facts:
- The dispute about the SPRATLY archipelago and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea has been going on for many years.
- Sandy Cay (part of the spratly) has just over 200 square meters, but is a strategic territory for China.
- According to the Filipino authorities, the Chinese coast guard “withdrew after placing the Chinese flag.”
Beijing officially placed his flag on the uninhabited land in the South China Sea for the first time in years, “the Financial Times writes. This step increases the risk of tightening the confrontation in the region, the more that Chinese law allows coast guards to stop and inspect foreign ships recognized as aggressors and to stop their crews.
The official Chinese sender of CCTV announced that “the coast guard introduced maritime control and exercises sovereign jurisdiction over the Rafa Sandy Cay”, which is part of the disputed SPRATLY archipelago.
Rafa took place on the eve of the annual Filipino-American military exercises starting next week, including Coastal defense and offensive operations at sea.
Source: CCTV/Reuters
They left the flag and “withdrew”
“Financial Times”, he notes that one can not yet talk about the total occupation of Rafa Sandy Cay by Chinabecause there are no signs of a permanent military presence there. According to the Filipino military authorities, the Chinese coast guard “withdrew after placing the Chinese flag on the occupied territory.”
The newspaper emphasizes that Sandy Cay is a sandy shell with an area of just over 200 square meters, which, however, is strategic for China, because it allows you to expand the jurisdiction to an area of 12 nautical miles, covering the island of Titu, which Philippines They use the Chinese Navy to track the movements. China's official announcement of control over Sandy Cay also increases the fears that Beijing also intends to annex other uninhabited reefs and fragments of the South China Sea coast.
The White House stated that reports of the reef's takeover by China “are deeply disturbing if they are real.”
Disputed areas in the South China Sea
China and the Philippines, as well as Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan For many years, they were not able to agree the status of two groups of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea – the SPRATLY archipelago (Chinese name Nansha) in the south and the Paracel Islands (Sisha) in the north, as well as neighboring waters – exclusive economic zones with a width of 200 nautical miles.
In 2016, a permanent arbitration tribunal in Hague after the complaint of the Philippines ruled that China's actions around the SPRATLY archipelago, where Beijing appointed a 200 nautical economic zone, are illegal. The Chinese authorities ignored this verdict.
Author/author: EK/KA
Source: PAP
Source of the main photo: CCTV/Reuters