AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaThis photo taken on Feb 15, 2024 shows an aerial view over the Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (File photo: AFP/Jam Sta Rosa)16 Sep 2025 09:19AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST BEIJING: China's coast guard said Tuesday (Sep 16) it had "taken control measures" against several Philippine vessels at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, as Beijing moves to reinforce its territorial claims and maritime rights in the contested region.The Philippines and China have been engaged in a long-running maritime standoff in the strategic waterway that has included regular clashes between coast guard ships and massive naval exercises.China approved plans to turn Scarborough Shoal - which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal - into a national nature reserve last week, without announcing its specific boundaries.Analysts said the move amounted to China trying to take the moral high ground in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over the atoll, part of a wider contest over sovereignty and fishing access in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce.The Philippines embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment."On Sep 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," the coast guard said on its official WeChat, a social media platform.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over ownership of various islands and features.In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China's sweeping claims in the region were not supported by international law, a decision that Beijing rejects.China’s military warns Philippines against provocations in South China SeaSource: Reuters/fhNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST