BEIJING (AP) — 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.

The Philippines pushed back by unfurling its own flag at disputed Sandy Cay, condemning China's "illegal presence."

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.