Chinese coastguard officers have seized a strip of land in the South China Sea in a major escalation of a territorial dispute with the Philippines. State broadcaster CCTV released images showing four officers in black uniforms holding the Chinese flag whilst standing on Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands.

Both countries have planted flags on a collection of sand bars, extending the clash over the area between Beijing and Manila, a U.S. ally

BEIJING: China's navy conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday (Apr 29), saying that the Philippines has been creating "disturbances", as the Filipino and United States air forces conducte