United States stands with Philippines after rejecting China’s destabilising plan at Scarborough Reef.

Sept 2025 : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the US stood with Philippines and rejected what he described as China’s “destabilising plans” involving Scarborough Reef. “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 neighbours“, Rubio said in a statement.

China’s plan to establish a nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal has raised fear among Filipino fishermen, who fear that it could make it harder for them to operate in the disputed South China Sea atoll, which is under the constant watch of Chinese vessels. The shoal lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Beijing’s control since 2012.

Rubio said China’s actions continued to undermine regional stability and called on Beijing to abide by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal’s unanimous decision that China had unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in traditional fishing at Scarborough Reef.

Earlier, Philippine fishermen feared that China’s plan to establish a nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal could expose them to further harassment and make it even harder to operate in the disputed South China Sea atoll, which is already under the constant watch of Chinese vessels. Chinese authorities have approved the creation of a national nature reserve at the shoal, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Beijing’s control since 2012.

Filipino boats have reported frequent encounters with Chinese coast guard vessels when venturing near the shoal, prized for its rich fish stocks and a turquoise lagoon that offers refuge for vessels during storms. “Even now there has been harassment, and we will be bullied even more“, said a 57 year’s old fisherman Mariano Cardenio, who has fished at the shoal for three decades.

China’s State Council said the reserve designation was an “important guarantee” to preserve the atoll’s ecosystem, but Philippine security officials condemned the move, calling it “clear pretext for occupation“. There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila about the fishermen’s concerns.

For years, Chinese ships have blockaded the lagoon, forcing Filipino fishermen to travel further for smaller catches, underscoring tensions in the South China Sea where several countries have overlapping claims. Both China and the Philippines claim the Scarborough Shoal, but sovereignty remains unresolved. China took control in 2012 after a standoff and has since stationed coast guard and fishing vessels there.

A 2016 international ruling invalidated China’s sweeping claims and declared its blockade illegal, affirming the shoal as a traditional fishing ground for countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. China rejected the ruling.

“We fishermen will suffer losses if they push through with building in the shoal. We will have a hard time fishing since China is asserting ownership even if it doesn’t belong to China“, said 47 year’s old fisherman Ruel Villanueva.

Philippine which is a US ally, also called on China to withdraw the designation and comply with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In November last year, China has also defined a baseline of territorial waters around the disputed Shoal.

Team Maverick