China โฃDeclares Natureโค Reserve at Disputed Scarborough Shoal,Raising Tensions with Philippines
MANILA,Philippines – China has announced the โคestablishmentโ of a nature reserve on the Scarborough Shoal,a hotly contested territory in theโ South China Seaโข claimed by the โPhilippines,prompting concerns of increased harassment of filipino vessels and fishermen in the area.โค The move, announced by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, designates 150,000 hectares as a โคprotectedโ area.
Theโ Scarborough Shoal, โคknown as Huangyan Dao in China, โhas been a focal point of maritime disputes for over a decade. The Philippines asserts it’s sovereign rights โฃoverโ the shoal,located โฃwithin its exclusive economic zone,a claim backed by a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hagueโฃ – aโ ruling China rejects.โฃ
accordingโ to โsecurity analyst Ms Parker,China will likely use theโค newly declared reserve โคto justify increased pressure on Filipino maritime activities. “What we will see after this โdeclarationโ isโ more intensity,more water cannoning,moreโข ramming,more bullying of Philippines fishermen -โค withinโ the philippines’s โown exclusive economicโ zone,” she said. “China will say this is legitimate because theyโ are breaching a nature reserve.”
The announcement comes as China’sโ navy conducted โฃwhat it described as “scientific research trials and training missions” near the shoal,deploying its third and most advanced aircraft carrier,the Fujian,through the Taiwan Strait and into the South China Sea. the navy statedโฃ the โขvoyage was “not directed at โฃany specific target.” The Fujian โฃcompleted its 8-day maiden sea trial in May 2024.
Unlike other contested areas in the Southโ China Sea โwhere Beijingโค has constructed military infrastructure, Scarborough โขShoal remains un-militarized, though Ms Parker noted China has been “deterred, to a point.”
Msโข Parker emphasized the need for international condemnation, stating countries like Australiaโ should make clear โthey do โnot recognize the nature reserve andโ that it โviolates โinternational law.