The United States has rejected China’s move to establish what it called a national nature reserve at Scarborough Reef, saying the measure could restrict Filipino fishermen’s access to their traditional fishing grounds, as reflected in the 2016 Arbitral Award. In a press release, the US State Department said this is yet another unilateral attempt by China to use dubious environmental and legal pretexts, backed by coercion, to advance its sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbours.

The United States stands with its Ally, the Philippines, in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the statement further said. The statement followed China’s announcement of new management measures for the disputed feature, referred to by the Philippines and international legal documents as Scarborough Shoal. According to China Daily, the measures were issued on August 1 and consist of 16 articles aimed at managing the newly established national nature reserve. The measures establish a coordination mechanism among the four agencies to address major issues, strengthen cooperation and information-sharing, and enhance supervision and law enforcement against activities deemed illegal.

The 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, issued by the arbitral tribunal constituted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), found that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the maritime areas falling within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. However, China has rejected the same.