Amid row with Philippines, China issues new rules to assert control over South China Sea shoal

China on Saturday (August 1, 2026) issued management measures for the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve in the disputed South China Sea, a move likely to further escalate its maritime row with the Philippines, which has counterclaims over the shoal.

The measures are a key step in safeguarding the diversity, stability and sustainability of the Huangyan Dao natural ecosystem, an official announcement said in Beijing tonight.

Under the rules, a routine patrol system will be established to promptly investigate and handle violations in accordance with the law.

Violators will be held accountable under relevant laws and regulations. The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the rules jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the China Coast Guard, and the Hainan provincial government.

Without prior approval, any activities such as fishing, mining, and the extraction of corals, coral reefs or giant clams that damage rare marine species and the natural ecosystem are prohibited, it said.

No individual or organisation may enter the reserve, except as otherwise provided by laws and regulations or for activities organised for conservation and management purposes, it said.

Earlier, the PLA Southern Theatre Command (STC) conducted a joint naval-air training exercise focusing on multiple realistic training subjects in the territorial sea and airspace of Huangyan Dao and its surrounding areas on Saturday (August 1, 2026), the Chinese military said.

China claims most of the SCS as its own. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the area.

The latest row between Beijing and Manila started after the Philippines military last month accused the Chinese Coast Guard of injuring one of its sailors in a scuffle that broke out at the Second Thomas Shoal of the SCS, claimed by both countries.

It accused the Chinese Coast Guard of injuring one of its sailors, an allegation denied by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Philippines asserts its sovereignty over the area, especially after an international tribunal in 2016 dismissed China’s claims.

A five-judge tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) based in The Hague, adjudicating on the petition filed by the Philippines in 2016, struck down Beijing’s claims of historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’.

Dismissing China’s claims over 90% of the SCS based on historic rights, the Tribunal concluded that China’s claims were incompatible with the exclusive economic zones provided for in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China, however, rejected it, saying that its rights over the SCS are legal and never accepted the tribunal award.