Tensions in the South China Sea have flared significantly following reports from China’s coast guard on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. The Chinese authorities announced they had implemented ‘control measures’ against several Philippine vessels operating near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. This action marks a clear escalation in Beijing’s efforts to solidify its territorial claims and maritime rights within the contested waters.
For years, the Philippines and China have been locked in a protracted maritime standoff in this strategically vital waterway. The dispute has frequently led to confrontations involving coast guard ships and extensive naval maneuvers by both nations.
Adding fuel to the fire, China unilaterally declared plans last week to transform Scarborough Shoal – known to Beijing as Huangyan Island and to the Philippines as Panatag Shoal – into a national nature reserve. Crucially, the specific boundaries of this proposed reserve remain undeclared. Analysts suggest this strategic move by China aims to seize the moral high ground in its ongoing dispute with Manila over the atoll, which forms a key part of the broader contest for sovereignty and fishing rights in the South China Sea – a critical conduit for over $3 trillion in annual global shipping trade.
As of now, the Philippine embassy in Beijing has not issued an immediate response regarding the incident.
The China Coast Guard, via its official social media platform WeChat, confirmed the September 16 interception, stating, “On September 16, the China Coast Guard took control measures against a number of Philippine officials vessels operating illegally in the territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal in accordance with the law.”
China asserts jurisdiction over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim that significantly overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These unresolved territorial disputes have persisted for many years, fueled by competing claims over numerous islands and maritime features.
It is important to note that in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague definitively ruled that China’s expansive claims in the region lack support under international law. A decision that Beijing continues to reject.