MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte stopped construction work on a newly formed sandbar in the disputed South China Sea after China protested, the defense chief said Wednesday, disclosing details of the territorial spat for the first time. China's claims to most of the South China Sea overlap those of the Philippines and four other governments. Philippine foreign affairs and military officials refused to divulge details of the dispute at Sandy Cay in August. The nearest sandbar in Sandy Cay is about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) from Philippine-occupied Thitu Island. "In short, Sandy Cay is a Philippine land territory that is being seized, to put it mildly, or being invaded, to put it frankly, by China," Carpio said.

Source: Philippine Star November 08, 2017 12:33 UTC