Why is China setting up a nature reserve in one of the world’s most contested waterways?

China’s latest nature reserve is a rock in the middle of one of the world’s most contested waterways.

On Wednesday, the Chinese government approved a proposal to establish a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, a hotly contested reef in the South China Sea, in an unprecedented move that has ignited a fresh war of words with rival claimant the Philippines.

The reserve will cover more than 3,500 hectares at Huangyan Island, the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal, with its coral reef ecosystem as the main protection target, according to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The move has drawn strong protest from the Philippines and marks a new step in China’s effort to reinforce its territorial claims in the South China Sea, a strategic, resource-rich waterway through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade transits.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including features hundreds of miles from its mainland, despite a 2016 international ruling against its claim.

The Philippines will issue a formal diplomatic protest over the reserve, its foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday, calling China’s action “illegitimate and unlawful” and accusing it of infringing on Manila’s rights and interests.

It said the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the shoal, which it calls Bajo de Masinloc, describing it as a “longstanding and integral part” of the Philippines.

China’s foreign ministry hit back, saying it rejects the Philippines’ “groundless accusations and so-called protests” and urges it to stop its “provocations and hype.”

Located 200 km (124 miles) off the Philippines, the Scarborough Shoal lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and has long been a flashpoint between Beijing and Manila. The triangular chain of reefs and rocks is coveted for its strategic location, bountiful fish stocks, and role as a sanctuary for boats during storms.

China seized the uninhabited atoll – 870 km (540 miles) from its southernmost province of Hainan – in 2012 after a long standoff with the Philippine Navy, and has maintained an almost constant coast guard presence in nearby waters since. It has ramped up patrols in recent years, blocking Philippine fishermen from their traditional fishing grounds.

Tensions came to a head in August, when a Chinese navy destroyer dramatically collided with a China Coast Guard ship and badly damaged its bow while chasing a Philippine patrol vessel near Scarborough Shoal – a collision that highlighted the danger of the increasingly frequent and violent clashes between the two sides.

The Philippines is a mutual defense ally of the United States, meaning serious clashes between Beijing and Manila could quickly spiral into something that drags the US military into the fray.

In a statement, China’s cabinet, the State Council, called the establishment of the nature reserve “an important guarantee for maintaining the diversity, stability and sustainability of Huangyan Island’s natural ecosystem.” It also called for stronger enforcement against “illegal activities” at the reserve.

Chinese experts have hailed the move as an important step in defending China’s territorial sovereignty and signaled it could set a precedent for other maritime features in the South China Sea, according to state media reports.

A map released by the Chinese government shows the entire northeastern rim of the atoll designated as the reserve, which consists of a “core zone” flanked by two “experimental zones.”

Under Chinese law, a core zone is strictly off limits, while an experimental zone allows scientific research, educational activities as well as tourism. Construction is forbidden in core zones but allowed in experimental zones. Foreigners must obtain approval from Chinese authorities to enter any reserve.

Ding Duo, a researcher at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the state-run Global Times that the decision to establish a nature reserve is a “strong rebuttal” to accusations that China has damaged the marine environment of the South China Sea.

China’s narrative that it plans to protect fragile ecosystems in the South China Sea will likely raise eyebrows among neighbors and conservationists given Beijing’s years of island building across the disputed waters have caused significant environmental damage.

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said China’s move is “less about protecting the environment and more about justifying its control” over the maritime feature.

“The irony is clear: since 2016, evidence has shown large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction by Chinese fishermen,” he said in a statement. “To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves has damaged is both contradictory and misleading.”

A 2023 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said China had buried roughly 4,648 acres of reefs through dredging and land fill to build artificial islands. In addition, Chinese giant clam harvesting damaged an estimated 16,353 acres of coral reef, the report said.

Much of the Chinese construction centered on the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands, and China has not built any facilities on Scarborough Shoal, according to CSIS.

The Philippines has also accused China’s shadowy maritime militia of destroying coral reefs in the South China Sea. China has rejected the accusation and accused the Philippines of damaging the coral reef ecosystem in the waterway instead.

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