China and the Philippines flew their national flags on the Sandy Cay sandbank in the South China Sea, highlighting territorial tensions in the region

<p>Recently, China and the Philippines put their flags on a disputed sandbar in the South China Sea, Sandy Cay, escalating tensions between the two countries. The incident occurred after the Chinese Coast Guard claimed to have taken control of the reef and the Philippines reacted by landing its own forces. Philippine officials dispute China's claims, saying the facts on the ground do not support its claims.