Beijing issues ecological report to solidify South China Sea claims amid US row

China has unveiled ecological reports for nine disputed South China Sea features, amid tensions with the United States over Beijing's designation of a "national nature reserve" in the contested waters. The South China Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources released its 2025 marine ecological early-warning and monitoring bulletin, alongside a separate protection and restoration report for the region, announced via its official social media account.

The bulletin marked the first comprehensive assessment of overall ecological conditions across the Paracels, Spratlys, Macclesfield Bank and surrounding reefs, known collectively as the Zhongsha Islands by China. It highlighted the ecological conditions of nine specific islands and reefs, providing a basis for their classified protection and management.

The US State Department dismissed China's assertion that Scarborough Shoal, or Huangyan Island, constituted a "national nature reserve," describing it as an attempt to advance territorial ambitions. China's foreign ministry countered that the shoal is "inherently Chinese territory" and that establishing a nature reserve there falls within China's sovereign rights.

The latest report noted severe degradation of marine ecosystems around contested Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, attributing the decline to starfish outbreaks, tropical cyclones, and foreign human activity, particularly Philippine construction and fishing operations. China had previously linked environmental damage to Philippine activities.

Beijing implemented 66 marine ecological restoration projects last year, investing nearly 5 billion yuan (US$741.6 million), and designated over 2.7 million hectares as marine ecological conservation areas.