Philippines Protests China’s Plan to Turn Scarborough Shoal Into Nature Reserve

The Philippine government has strongly condemned China’s decision to establish a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, saying the move undermines Manila’s sovereignty and serves as a pretext for occupation. 

China’s State Council approved the reserve as part of environmental protection efforts, asserting it would help preserve the atoll’s fragile ecosystem. However, Philippine officials argue the designation is less about conservation than about strengthening Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. 

Eduardo Ano, the National Security Adviser of the Philippines, called China’s plan “patently illegal” and accused Beijing of using environmental protection as a cover to justify control over Bajo de Masinloc, the name Manila uses for Scarborough Shoal. 

Manila has declared that China’s move infringes on the Philippines’ sovereign rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs is set to issue a formal diplomatic protest, demanding that China revoke the reserve designation and comply with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian dismissed Manila’s objections as “unreasonable”, urging the Philippines to stop what China calls provocations and not to complicate the maritime situation. 

Scarborough Shoal remains under dispute despite a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s broad maritime claims, including those overlapping with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China has occupied the shoal since 2012, and experts warn that the reserve plan threatens the traditional fishing rights of Filipino fishermen who rely on parts of the shoal sheltered from currents and waves.