A hotly contested chain of reefs and rocks within the South China Sea is quickly to change into a nature reserve, China mentioned on Wednesday.
The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular formation claimed by China and the Philippines, has been the positioning of a number of conflicts, together with an incident final month by which a Chinese language coast guard vessel that was pursuing a Philippine patrol boat struck a a lot bigger Chinese language navy ship. It’s often called Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc within the Philippines.
China’s State Council mentioned that establishing a reserve on Scarborough Shoal was “an essential measure for sustaining the range, stability, and sustainability of the atoll’s pure ecosystem.” The boundaries of the reserve can be introduced individually by the Nationwide Forestry and Grassland Administration, it mentioned.
Beijing claims jurisdiction over almost all the South China Sea regardless of a 2016 ruling from a global arbitration court docket denying that declare. China dismissed the ruling and has sought to strengthen its declare to areas like Scarborough Shoal, clashing with its neighbors alongside the way in which.
China’s declare overlaps with the unique financial zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Consists of reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
