Beijing issues ecological report to bolster South China Sea claims amid US row
China has published ecological assessment reports on nine disputed South China Sea features, amid an escalating row with Washington over Beijing's establishment of a "national nature reserve" in the contested waters. The Ministry of Natural Resources' South China Sea Bureau issued a marine ecological monitoring bulletin and a separate protection report on Friday.
China has published ecological assessment reports on nine disputed South China Sea features, in a move that comes amid an escalating dispute with Washington over Beijing's establishment of a "national nature reserve" in the contested waters.
The Ministry of Natural Resources' South China Sea Bureau announced Friday that it had issued its 2025 marine ecological early-warning and monitoring bulletin, alongside a separate marine ecological protection and restoration report covering the area. The releases were announced in an article posted on the bureau's official website.
Analysts say the reports form part of Beijing's strategy to reinforce its sovereignty claims over the contested waters using scientific and environmental justifications. The United States and its regional allies have described China's moves as steps that risk further escalating tensions in the region.
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