China and the Philippines have each unfurled their national flags on tiny sandbars in the South China Sea, staking competing sovereignty claims in strategic waters seen as a potential flashpoint for global conflict.

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 says six Filipinos landed on a tiny outcropping that both countries claim in the South China Sea , days after photos emerged of Chinese coast guard officers displaying a Chinese flag on the same group of sandbars.