China and the Philippines both plant their flags on the same disputed sandbar

China says six Filipinos landed on a tiny outcropping that both countries claim in the South China Sea, days after photos emerged of Chinese coast guard officers displaying a Chinese flag on the same group of sandbars.

The back and forth over Sandy Cay is the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute between the two countries over territory in the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.

A Chinese coast guard statement described the Philippine landing on Sunday as “illegal” and said that Chinese officers had gone ashore “to conduct on-site verification and enforcement measures.” It didn’t specify what those steps entailed.

A Philippine statement said that a joint coast guard, navy and maritime police team on rubber dinghies had landed on the three sandbars that make up Sandy Cay, known as Tiexian Reef in Chinese.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, a Philippine coast guard spokesperson, posted the statement on X with a video and photos, including one showing personnel displaying a Philippine flag on one of the sandbars.

“This operation reflects the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Philippine Government to uphold the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” the statement said.

The move came three days after the Global Times, a Chinese state-owned newspaper, published photos of Chinese coast guard officers on Tiexian Reef in mid-April holding up a Chinese flag and cleaning up plastic bottles and other debris.

The Chinese coast guard statement on the subsequent Philippine landing said that China holds “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly islands, including Tiexian Reef and the surrounding waters.