China has announced the creation of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, escalating tensions over the South China Sea flashpoint in a move that drew a sharp protest from the Philippines.
The Philippines is locked in a bitter territorial dispute with China, which claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea -- including features such as Scarborough Shoal that lie well within the U.S. ally's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
China seized effective control of the traditional fishing ground, in 2012 following a standoff with the Philippines. In recent years, the area has seen repeated maritime confrontations as Beijing seeks to block Philippine patrols and missions to resupply local fishermen.
One such encounter last month saw a Chinese coast guard vessel heavily damaged after colliding with a Chinese naval destroyer while both were pursuing a Philippine coast guard ship.
Newsweek has reached out to the Philippine coast guard and Chinese Foreign Ministry via emailed requests for comment.
China's State Council on Wednesday said it had approved the formation of a "Scarborough Shoal National Nature Reserve," calling it an important step to ensure the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the shoal's natural ecosystem.
In a separate notice, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration released an image with geographic coordinates outlining the planned boundaries of the reserve, spanning its northeastern side and covering roughly one-third of the coral reef-rimmed feature.
On Thursday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs condemned the announcement, calling it an "illegitimate and unlawful action by China, as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law."
The department said the country would file a formal diplomatic protest and urged Beijing to respect Manila's "sovereignty and jurisdiction" over the reef.
Responding to Manila's statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Thursday: "The scope of the Philippines' territory has long been defined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been part of it."
Lin called on the Philippines to "immediately stop its infringements, provocations, and reckless hype to avoid adding complicating factors to the maritime situation."
Huangyan Dao is China's term for Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines refers to it as Bajo De Masinloc.
In a landmark 2016 ruling, a Hague-based arbitral tribunal classified Scarborough Shoal as a rock under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, meaning it does not generate its own exclusive economic zone. However, the shoal lies well within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile EEZ from Luzon.
The ruling largely rejected China's sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Beijing did not participate in the proceedings and maintains the decision is invalid.
Maritime analysts have weighed in on the nature reserve declaration, with some linking it to the August 11 collision that embarrassed Beijing.
Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore, in an X post called the move "the latest PRC [People's Republic of China] lawfare escalation." "This is clearly a response to the August 11 incident. It also isn't mere talk; the PRC has the capability to enforce."
Ray Powell, who leads SeaLight, a maritime transparency project at Stanford University, wrote on X: "This is political warfare -- stealing the shoal, depriving the Philippines' fishermen of livelihoods, then casting it as environmentalism."
Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told Chinese state media outlet the Global Times: "The establishment of a national-level nature reserve not only reflects the exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction, but also represents a concrete action to fulfill international obligations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity."