Why has Sabina Shoal become a China-Philippines flashpoint?

Maritime analysts say clashes between the Chinese and Philippine coastguards near a South China Sea shoal could become more frequent and intense as the two countries vie for control of the atoll.

Two Philippine vessels on a resupply mission were damaged in a collision on Monday with a Chinese ship near Sabina Shoal, which is claimed by both countries but controlled by neither.

The shoal could have strategic value to the Philippines as a staging post to resupply troops on the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal about 35 nautical miles (65km) further west in the Spratly Islands.

Known as Xianbin Reef in China and Escoda Shoal in the Philippines, Sabina Shoal has been a flashpoint since April, when Manila deployed one of its most advanced coastguard ships, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to the nearby waters to monitor what it called Beijing’s illegal land reclamation activities at the atoll – an accusation Beijing denies.

China has deployed several vessels, including the 12,000-tonne CCG-5901 – the largest coast guard ship in the world – to the area to monitor the Philippine vessel, which could soon be relieved by another ship, the BRP Melchora Aquino, according to a Chinese think tank.