‘As long as we’re here, it’s ours’: the island fishing community on the frontline of South China Sea tensions

Rolly Dela Cruz often encounters Chinese vessels while fishing in the South China Sea waters surrounding Thitu Island. Photograph: Rebecca Ratcliffe/The Guardian

From the sandy beaches of Thitu Island, blue waters stretch for as far as the eye can see. It feels like a tranquil paradise: there’s no noisy road traffic, air pollution or crowds. But Thitu is not a luxury retreat, it’s a tiny island in the remote Spratly chain and one of the world’s most fiercely contested maritime sites.

Thitu has been occupied by the Philippines since 1974 and is home to 387 civilians. However, China also claims the island and much of the surrounding South China Sea. Thitu and its people are on the frontline of an intensifying struggle against their superpower neighbour.