Scarborough Shoal | 15 Sep 2025

Source: ET

The Philippines has strongly opposed China’s announcement to establish a nature reserve in the South China Sea at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which has long been a flashpoint of tensions and standoffs between the two countries.

Scarborough Shoal

• About: It is a triangular atoll, located 200 km from the Philippines coast, and within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under UNCLOS(1982).
  • It is part of the broader South China Sea disputes (Spratlys, Paracels, Nine-Dash Line), where China’s nine-dash line  overlaps with the EEZs of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.
• Significance: Rich in fish stocks and provides natural shelter for vessels.
  • Strategically placed near shipping lanes that handle USD 3 trillion annual global trade.
  • Control gives a geopolitical and military edge in one of the busiest waterways.
• The 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling rejected China’s broad South China Sea claims and its blockade of the shoal, but left the sovereignty issue unresolved, causing ongoing tensions.