US Slams Chinese 'Nature Reserve' as Effort to Claim South China Sea The recent statement from the US State Department accusing China of attempting to deny Filipino vessels access to fishing grounds in the contested area surrounding Scarborough Reef is just the latest development in a decades long dispute over the South China Sea.
At its core, this issue reflects China's increasing assertiveness in the region and its use of dubious environmental and legal pretexts to advance its territorial ambitions.
China has framed its claims to the area as a "nature reserve," a move that is not just an attempt to cloak its aggressive actions in a veneer of environmentalism.