A string of sandbars near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa (Thitu) Island is becoming another flashpoint in the maritime and territorial dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea. The Chinese have for years maintained a constant presence close to the sandbars to keep Filipino troops and fishermen away despite the fact that the emerging islands are located well within the 22-kilometer territorial sea of Pag-asa, which is part of Palawan province’s Kalayaan municipality. China’s aggressiveness in these waters were on display in an incident witnessed by the Inquirer late last month when a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel tried to stop Philippine patrols around Pag-asa and the sandbars.

Mangosing, F. (2022, July 8). Pag-asa sandbars next WPS flashpoints? Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1-A2.