The Philippines-controlled Pagasa Island is only 37 hectares, or "hope" - almost not enough to live. There is almost nothing there.

About 300 residents live in a group of small wooden houses. They fish in the clear turquoise waters and grow vegetables on sandy grounds.

But, in these disputed waters, they are not alone: ​​just on the shore, to the west, is a ship.

These are all Chinese, from the Navy, the Coast Guard or so-called maritime militia-reused large fishing boats to maintain China's maritime dominance. When our plane approached the island, we calculated at least 20.

Over the past decade, China has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, taking over submerged coral reefs, building three large air bases on it, and deploying hundreds of ships to enhance its claims on nearly all strategic marine lanes traveling south from large export cities on the coast of China.

There are also few Southeast Asian countries that claim to dare to oppose China on the same sea islands. Only Vietnam and the Philippines do so. Both countries have much smaller armies than China, but they have stuck to a few reefs and islands.

Pagasa (also known as Thitu and other names), which several other countries claim - is the largest of them.

However, civilians were found in several islands in the South China Sea. From a Philippine perspective, Pagasa is solid land, not partially submerged reefs or the fact that Sandy Cay can enhance its legal requirements in the area.

"Pagasa is very important to us," said Jonathan Malaya, assistant director of the Philippines' National Security Council, told the BBC.

“It has a runway. It can support life – it has a resident of the Filipino community and fishermen living there.

“Given the size of the island, it is one of the few who do not need to recover from sea, and under international law, it has produced its own territory of 12 nautical miles.

“So, in a sense, this is the key to the existence of the Philippines.”

Arriving in Pagasa is a two-to-three-day boat trip from Palawan, Philippines, or an hour of airplane ride, but both are at the mercy of frequent storms.

Until two years ago they floated out of the waterway and extended it to 1,300m (4,600 feet), only small aircraft could land. Now, they can carry large C130 transport aircraft. Like us, traveling inside them is a bit like taking a bus during peak hours.

Everything has to be brought from the mainland, which is why our planes are packed with floor to ceiling, mattresses, eggs, a bag of rice, several motorcycles and a pile of luggage, not to mention a lot of military personnel, most of whom have to represent the entire flight.

A lot of changes have taken place in recent years. There is a new hangar, large enough to cover the plane during a storm. They are building a control tower and digging out a small port to allow larger ships to dock. We were driven to the island by some Philippine Marines stationed there, although it seems almost unnecessary given its size

The Philippines occupied Pagasa from Taiwan in 1971, when Taiwanese troops left it during the typhoon. It was officially annexed by the Philippines in 1978.

Later, the government began to encourage civilians to settle there. But they need support to survive in this remote land. Family makes formal donations to food, water and other groceries every month. They now have electricity and cell phone connections, but that was only four years ago.

Apart from government work, fishing is the only viable way to make a living, and even this has become difficult since the arrival of the Chinese fleet.

Fisherman Larry Hugo has lived on the island for 16 years and has documented China's control over the region. He photographed the original building on Subi Reef, about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from Pagasa, which eventually became a full-size military air force base. One of his videos shows his small wooden boat being knocked down by a Chinese coast guard in 2021, making him a secondary celebrity.

But Chinese harassment forced him to fish in smaller areas closer to his home.

"Their boats are huge compared to our boats. They threatened us, approached and rang their horns to chase us. They did scare us. So I no longer go to the old fishing grounds.

The real Limbo has been a teacher on the island for 10 years and has seen the school grow from a small cabin to full-size school teaching from kindergarten to 18 years old.

"To me, this island is like heaven," she said. "All our basic needs are taken care of. It's clean and peaceful - the kids can play basketball or swim after school. We don't need a shopping mall or all materialism."

Pagasa is really quiet. In the fierce noon heat, we find that most people sneeze in the hammock or play music on the porch. We met Melania Alojado, a rural health worker, and shaking a small baby to help him sleep.

“The biggest challenge for us is when people (especially children) get sick,” she said.

"If this is serious, then we need to evacuate them to the mainland. I'm not a registered nurse, so I can't perform complex medical tasks. But the planes are not always available, and sometimes the weather is too rough to travel.

“When this happens, we just need to take care of them as much as possible.”

But she also values ​​the tranquility of island life. "We don't have a lot of pressure. We get subsidized food and we can grow some of it ourselves. In big cities, everything you do requires money."

We saw some new homes built, but Pagasa really doesn't have enough space to accommodate more people. Since there is little work, young people usually leave the island once they complete their studies. For all the sleepy charm and stunning white beaches, it has the feeling of a garrison community, continuing the boundaries against the overwhelming Chinese existence, which is clearly visible at sea.

"When approaching Pagasa, the Chinese at the Sube Reef Air Force Base always challenged us," the pilot said. "They always warn us that we entered Chinese territory without permission."

Have they tried to stop you? "No, it's a routine. We told them it's the territory of the Philippines. We do it every time."

Jonathan Malaya said his administration has formal diplomatic protests against the Chinese embassy every week, with the Philippines in what the Philippines considers Bagasa in the territory. This is in stark contrast to the administration of inaugural President Rodrigo Duterte, who avoids confrontation with China in a bid to gain more investment in the Philippines.

"I think if we take our position, we will get more respect and show them that we can play this game as well. But the problem with a democracies like the Philippines is that policies may change with new governments. China does not have that problem."