The China Coast Guard (CCG) "enforced maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction" over Sandy Cay, also known as Tiexian Jiao, in mid-April, according to reports from Chinese state media.

The English-language Chinese newspaper Global Times earlier reported "the China Coast Guard (CCG) enforced maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction at Tiexian Jiao in the South China Sea by conducting on-reef inspection and evidence collection of illegal activity".

This was also reported by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday where photos of Chinese coast guard officers displaying the Chinese national flag and holding plastic bottles, wooden sticks, and other debris scattered across Sandy Cay were seen during the report.

Sandy Cay is a sandbar in the vicinity adjacent to Pag-asa Island, also known as Thitu Island, situated in the municipality of Kalayaan within the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine military has yet to comment on the reports.

"All those questions will be answered in the near future" Maj. Elree Cardeno, 960th Air Missile Defense Group of the Philippine Air Force, said in a press conference. Marie Manalili/DMS