US condemns China’s plan to designate Scarborough Shoal as a nature reserve
ByDNN Post
The United States has criticized China’s plan to designate Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea as a “natural reserve,” calling the move coercive and destabilizing.
A State Department spokesman said Tuesday that Beijing’s announcement threatens regional stability and represents an attempt to assert territorial claims through unilateral action. Washington reaffirmed its support for international law and the rights of other nations in the region.
Scarborough Shoal, claimed by both China and the Philippines, has long been a disputed territory in the South China Sea. Manila has yet to issue an official response to China’s latest move, but US officials have stressed that they will continue to support allies in preventing “illegal maritime claims.”
