On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, China’s coast guard announced that it had “taken control measures” against several Philippine vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, as Beijing seeks to strengthen its territorial claims and maritime rights in the area. The Philippines and China have long been involved in a maritime standoff in the strategic waterway, marked by frequent coast guard confrontations and large-scale naval exercises. Last week, China approved plans to designate Scarborough Shoal—referred to by Beijing as Huangyan Island and by the Philippines as Panatag Shoal—as a national nature reserve, though it did not specify the boundaries.

Analysts suggest that this move is an attempt by China to claim the moral high ground in its dispute with Manila over the atoll, which forms part of a broader contest over sovereignty and fishing rights in the South China Sea, a vital route for over $3 trillion in annual maritime trade. The Philippine embassy in Beijing had not immediately responded to requests for comment. According to a post on its official WeChat account, the China Coast Guard stated: “On September 16, the China Coast Guard took control measures against a number of Philippine official vessels operating illegally in the territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal in accordance with the law.”

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The disputes over sovereignty of various islands and maritime features have remained unresolved for years. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s extensive claims in the region are not supported by international law, a verdict Beijing continues to reject.