MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine foreign ministry said on Thursday it “strongly protests” against China’s plan to create a national nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed maritime feature in the South China Sea.
“The Philippines will be issuing a formal diplomatic protest 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 foreign ministry said in a statement.
Manila’s foreign ministry said it has sovereignty and jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal, which it calls “Bajo de Masinloc”, describing it as a “longstanding and integral part” of the Philippines.
The Philippines’ comments came after China approved the creation of a national nature reserve in the disputed region.
The shoal, named Huangyan Island by Beijing and also known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal, has been occupied by China since 2012 and has been a hotspot in a long-running dispute over the South China Sea between the two countries.
Both countries claim sovereignty over the shoal, a strategically located atoll and prime fishing patch close to major shipping lanes.
The shoal falls inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and is coveted for its bountiful fish stocks as well as a lagoon that provides safe haven for fishermen during storms.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to the Philippines’ statement about the nature reserve plan.
A 2016 arbitral tribunal did not rule on sovereignty over the shoal, noting that it had long been traditional fishing grounds for many nations, including Vietnam. However, it declared that China had unlawfully prevented the Philippines from fishing there.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea via a “nine-dash line” on its maps, which cuts into parts of the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Last month, a Chinese navy vessel collided with a China coast guard vessel, damaging the latter’s forecastle while it was chasing a Philippine coast guard ship on a resupply mission for Filipino fishermen. It was the first known collision between Chinese vessels in the area.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by David Stanway and Martin Petty)
