The Chinese coast guard has seized a disputed reef in the South China Sea, amid escalating territorial tensions with the Philippines.

The 200 sq metre Tiexian Reef forms part of the Spratly Islands and is located near Thitu Island, which hosts a Philippines military facility that Manila reportedly uses to track Chinese movements in the area. 

State broadcaster CCTV said the coast guard landed on the sandbank, also known as Sandy Cay, to “exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the reef and “collect video evidence regarding the illegal activities of the Philippine side”, adding they also “cleared plastic bottles, sticks and other garbage”.

CCTV released a series of images of the event, including one of four men wearing all black uniforms holding up the Chinese flag over the white sand, which the broadcaster claimed was “to declare sovereignty”.  

Another image shows five men, also in black, walking the perimeter of the sandbank with a raft seemingly parked at its shore.