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.

The standoff over Sandy Cay, which lies close to military outposts built by both Beijing and Manila, was the latest between the two nations.

China has asserted sovereignty over an uninhabited reef in the South China Sea by planting a flag, according to state media, setting the stage for an escalation of tensions with the Philippines over the disputed area.