Hanoi, Vietnam—Vietnam on Saturday protested claims by China and the Philippines over a disputed reef in the South China Sea which it considers its own territory.
Manila and Beijing traded barbs last week over Sandy Cay, a group of small sandbanks in the waterway’s Spratly Islands, after a Chinese state media report suggested the area had been seized.
The Philippines and China have been engaged in months of confrontations over the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
On Saturday Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a statement posted on the government’s official website that Hanoi had “issued protest notes to the countries involved regarding violations of its sovereignty over Sandy Cay.”
Vietnam considers the resource-rich Spratly Islands—which lie some 500 kilometers (310 miles) off its east coast—as part of its territory.
Pham Thu Hang said that Vietnam demands “relevant parties” respect its sovereignty over the archipelago, urging them to “refrain from actions that further complicate the situation.”
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said last week that the country’s coast guard had “implemented maritime control” over Tiexian Reef, part of Sandy Cay, in mid-April.
Days later the Philippine Coast Guard released its own photo showing Filipino sailors holding the country’s flag over the same disputed reef during an early morning mission the day before.
The Sandy Cay reef lies near Thitu Island, or Pag-asa, where the Philippines stations troops and maintains a coast guard monitoring base.
The South China Sea is home to valuable oil and gas deposits and crucial shipping lanes, and several of China’s neighbors have voiced concern that Beijing is seeking to expand its reach.
Vietnam, along with several other countries in the region, also claims parts of the strategic waterway.
The Philippine Navy denied China’s claim that it has occupied Sandy Cay, which it calls Tiexian Reef, in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the claim is meant to divert the attention of the public amid allegations of Chinese spies and an alleged troll farm hired by the Chinese Embassy in Manila in 2023.
“We checked together with the Coast Guard, the Navy, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), the BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources), and other agencies. Nothing was found there, and we were able to debunk what they were claiming that they had a picture,” Trinidad said in an interview.
This came after China claimed that it seized control of Sandy Cay, which is part of the Spratly Islands.
Trinidad said authorities also saw around four Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and 19 maritime militia near Sandy Cay.
“Some CCG and maritime militia vessels were spotted, but they have always been there because Sandy Cay is close to Pag-asa Island,” he added.
Trinidad also assured the public that Philippine authorities are continuously monitoring Sandy Cay.
Vietnam, meanwhile, urged all parties to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.
