China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost: report

This handout photo taken on March 21, 2024 and received from the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (PCG/BFAR) shows an aerial view of Philippine scientists inspecting Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in Spratly Islands, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, according to Beijing's state media, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. The Chinese coast guard "implemented maritime control" over the Tiexian Reef, also known as Sandy Cay, during the middle of April 2025, state broadcaster CCTV reported on April 26, 2025. - Philippine Coast Guard/AFP

BEIJING: The Chinese coast guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, according to Beijing's state media, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other regional countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.