Why Sandy Cay matters: Philippines and China stake rival claims in South China Sea dispute
Experts interpret Manila’s counter flag-raising as an effort to resist Beijing’s creeping jurisdiction
The Philippine team, using four motorised rubber boats, disembarked at Pag-asa Cay 1, Cay 2 and Cay 3 before sunrise. Their success was evidence that China’s earlier claims of control were misleading, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard on South China Sea issues.
“This is clear evidence that China’s narrative is only intended to counter our factual narrative that we can actually go to these cays,” Tarriela said in a radio interview on Monday.
China has not disclosed precisely when its flag-raising operation took place, but state television and the Global Times have aired footage showing Chinese personnel planting the national flag on Sandy Cay.