China, Philippines trade accusations over South China Sea

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BEIJING: China accused the Philippines of landing personnel on a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Sunday (May 3) as Manila said it would dispatch ships to drive off Chinese vessels it said were conducting research illegally.

The exchange extends a run of heightened tension between China and the Philippines, a United States ally, over Sandy Cay, an unoccupied sandbar in the South China Sea.

On Sunday, China's Coast Guard said it had identified five Philippine personnel who had landed on Sandy Cay, an action Beijing termed "illegal," according to state-run media outlet Global Times. 

The report did not specify what - if any - further action China had taken.

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Manila said last week it had dispatched its coast guard to Sandy Cay after state media reports showed Chinese coast guard personnel arriving on Sandy Cay holding a Chinese flag.

Ties between China and the Philippines are strained over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire waterway.

Also on Sunday, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard said Manila had identified four Chinese vessels conducting what it called illegal research in its waters and threatened to deploy aircraft and ships to force them to move away.

China's foreign ministry and the Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

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