China and the Philippines have staked rival claims to a spit of land in the South China Sea, moves that could further inflame tensions in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

       In recent days, both Chinese and Philippine personnel have planted their national flags on Sandy Cay, a collection of sandbars close to two key military outposts controlled by Beijing and Manila. China’s claims to much of the South China Sea—a thoroughfare for about a third of global maritime trade—overlap with those of some of its neighbors, including the Philippines.

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