The competing claims are reigniting tensions in the South China Sea and coincide with joint military drills between the U.S. and the Philippines.

The Philippine team, using four motorised rubber boats, disembarked at Pag-asa Cay 1, Cay 2 and Cay 3 before sunrise. Their success was evidence that China’s earlier claims of control were misleading, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard on South China Sea issues.

China and the Philippines on Monday (April 28, 2025) defended their claims to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, after Manila accused Beijing of seeking to "intimidate and harass" with a state media report that suggested the area had been seized.