US backs Philippines, opposes China’s ‘destabilizing Plans’ at Scarborough Reef

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States stands firmly with the Philippines, rejecting what he called China’s “destabilizing plans” for Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea.

“The United States stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilizing plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef, a hotly contested reef in the South China Sea,” Rubio said in a statement.

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“Beijing claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is yet another coercive attempt to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors, including by preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing these traditional fishing grounds,” he added.

Rubio stressed that China’s actions “undermine regional stability” and urged Beijing to “abide by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal’s unanimous decision that China had unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen” from accessing the reef. He emphasized that the ruling is final and legally binding on both parties.

The statement followed Beijing’s approval of a plan to create a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Island. The reserve, covering more than 3,500 hectares, is designed to protect the coral reef ecosystem, according to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Manila has voiced strong opposition, denouncing the move as “illegitimate and unlawful.” The Philippine foreign ministry said it would file a formal diplomatic protest, asserting that Scarborough Shoal—known locally as Bajo de Masinloc—is a “longstanding and integral part” of the Philippines’ territory and maritime domain.

China’s foreign ministry dismissed Manila’s protest, saying it “rejects the Philippines’ groundless accusations and so-called protests” and urged it to stop “provocations and hype.”

Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested features in the South China Sea and a frequent flashpoint over sovereignty and fishing rights. The shoal lies within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but has been under Chinese control since 2012.

In 2013, the Philippines filed arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to challenge China’s actions, including restrictions at Scarborough. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that China’s sweeping claims under the “nine-dash line” had no legal basis and that its activities, such as blocking Filipino fishermen, violated international law.

The dispute is part of the larger US–China rivalry in the Asia-Pacific, where Washington has been strengthening its security ties with ASEAN nations to counter Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which over 60 percent of global maritime trade passes.