The Philippines criticised a “reckless” report from Chinese state media on Monday, which claimed that a contested reef in the South China Sea was under Beijing’s control, asserting that the “status quo” remains unchanged,

China and the Philippines on Monday defended their claims to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, after Manila accused Beijing of seeking to “intimidate and harass” with a state media report that suggested the area had been seized.

The competing claims are reigniting tensions in the South China Sea and coincide with joint military drills between the U.S. and the Philippines.