Philippines protests China's plan for a nature reserve at a hotly disputed shoal

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines on Thursday protested a plan by China to establish a nature reserve in one of the most hotly disputed shoals in the South China Sea, calling it a “pretext to eventual occupation” and demanding that Beijing immediately withdraw the plan.

China’s State Council on Wednesday announced the approval of a plan to create a national nature reserve at the Scarborough Shoal. The aim is to protect a coral reef, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The Scarborough Shoal is one of many South China Sea islands, islets and reefs that are claimed by China and its neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. In the Philippines it is known as the Bajo de Masinloc.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said a diplomatic protest was underway “against this illegitimate and unlawful action by China as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law.”

“The Philippines urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc, refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance and comply with its obligations under international law,” the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said in a statement.

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said China's plan was “patently illegal,” violating both the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing's expansive territorial claims on historic grounds.

“It is a clear pretext towards eventual occupation,” he said.

Año also accused China of allowing its fishermen for years to carry out large-scale harvesting of endangered species of marine life that caused massive reef destruction more than a decade ago in Scarborough, which he said Beijing purportedly now wants to save.

The Philippines has publicly declared in the past that any Chinese construction at Scarborough, which Beijing, Manila and Taiwan all claim, would be a red line.

China's State Council said in its notice Wednesday that the “establishment of the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve is an important guarantee for maintaining the diversity, stability and sustainability of the natural ecosystem of Huangyan Island.”

According to the statement, the nature reserve is located in China’s southernmost island city of Sansha, Hainan province, and covers an area of 3,523.67 hectares (8,705 acres). In the statement, the administration also attached a map showing the territory staked out for the reserve, roughly the entire northeastern side of the island.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Romualdez, a vocal critic of China’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, said that although Beijing is depicting its plan as an environmental protection effort, “it’s obviously another maneuvering move by China to justify their 10-dash line claim,” referring to China’s expansive claims in the strategic waterway, which it demarcates with dashes on its map.

China responded to Philippine criticism Thursday, calling the island its “inherent territory.”

“The establishment of a national-level nature reserve on Huangyan Island falls within China’s sovereignty,” said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “China does not accept the Philippines’ unreasonable accusations and protests, and urges the Philippine side to cease its infringements and provocations.”

The Scarborough Shoal has been the scene of frequent showdowns between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent years, as both try to enforce their claims to the territory. A Chinese navy ship accidentally collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship last month while trying to block a Philippine Coast Guard vessel near Scarborough Shoal.

Last month, the United States briefly deployed a guided missile destroyer and another combat ship to sail by Scarborough in what it calls freedom-of-navigation-voyages to challenge China's claims and sailing restrictions near the shoal. Scarborough is strategically located near sea routes to the Taiwan Straits and the Bashi Channel.

The U.S. has no claims in the disputed waters but has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, a longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

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AP writer Huizhong Wu in Bangkok contributed to this report.