Context: China and the Philippines defended their claims to a disputed Sandy Cay reef in the South China Sea.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Location of Sandy Cay Reef; Disputed islands in South China Sea.
About Sandy Cay Reef
- Sandy Cay Reef is a small coral reef in the South China Sea. It lies near Thitu Island, where the Philippines stations troops and maintains a coast guard monitoring base.
- It consists of multiple shallow reef platforms with dynamic sandbanks.
- The reef is claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
- Note: Reef is a raised area on the ocean floor that is made of rock, coral, or sand.
