Conservation is China's newest weapon in the South China Sea

China's plan to turn a destroyed reef into a marine reserve exposes how green rhetoric is being used to mask coercion in the South China Sea.

- Mara Cepeda Philippines Correspondent

The scars of the sea were visible from space.

Arc-shaped gouges carved by steel propellers, entire coral beds smothered by sediment plumes, and at least 1,900 acres of reef laid to waste — all within the ring of Scarborough Shoal, once a thriving marine ecosystem in the South China Sea.

Filipino and Chinese fishermen alike used to describe the shoal as a vibrant underwater garden, teeming with giant clams, schools of fish, and pristine coral. But after 2012, when China seized control following a tense naval standoff with the Philippines, that garden became a graveyard.

Now, in a twist heavy in irony, Beijing wants to turn Scarborough Shoal into a marine nature reserve.

According to China's Ministry of Natural Resources, Scarborough is part of a national push to protect important marine ecosystems. It proposes zones for core protection and experimental use, allowing for activities like tourism and scientific research.

On paper, China's move appears to align with global conservation goals. In practice, it's a power grab dressed up in seaweed.

"It's nothing but lawfare. It's a test balloon. If this works in Scarborough Shoal, China might apply the same practice in other areas in the future," maritime security analyst Collin Koh of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies told The Straits Times.

"The onus is on Manila to challenge that. Because once you acquiesce to that or don't oppose it, then it becomes normative practice for China," Dr Koh added.

The Philippines isn't letting it slide. On Sept 12, its Department of Foreign Affairs filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing's declaration.