China’s plan to build a nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal brings strong responses from the Philippines and US.Published On 13 Sep 202513 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareUnited States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed support for Manila’s opposition to Beijing’s plan to designate the contested Scarborough Shoal as a “nature reserve”, characterising the move as part of a broader Chinese strategy of coercion in the South China Sea.“The US stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilising plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef,” Rubio wrote on the X social media platform on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“This is yet another coercive attempt to advance China’s interests at the expense of its neighbours and regional stability,” Rubio said.“… Claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is another example of Beijing using pressure tactics to push expansive maritime and territorial claims, disregarding the rights of neighbouring countries,” he added in a statement.On Wednesday, China’s State Council revealed its intention to establish a nature reserve spanning 3,500 hectares (8,650 acres) on the disputed islet, describing the initiative as an “important guarantee for maintaining … diversity, stability and sustainability”.While Scarborough Shoal lies 240km (150 miles) west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and is included in the country’s exclusive economic zone, it has been under Beijing’s control since 2012. A Philippine fishing boat sails past a Chinese coastguard ship after it was blocked from sailing near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in the disputed waters of the South China Sea [File: Ted Aljibe/AFP]China’s nature reserve plans drew a string of strong responses from the Philippines, where the Department of Foreign Affairs promised on Thursday to lodge a “formal diplomatic protest against this illegitimate and unlawful action”. Advertisement According to the Philippine Star news outlet, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said China’s planned “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” is “patently illegal”.Ano cited violations of the United Nations Convention o …
