China has released environmental impact assessments for nine disputed sites in the South China Sea

China has released environmental assessments of nine disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea amid a dispute with the United States over Beijing’s establishment of a national nature reserve in the Scarborough Shoal area, according to the South China Morning Post.

On Friday, the South China Sea Bureau under the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China issued the 2025 Marine Ecology Early Warning and Monitoring Bulletin, as well as a separate report on the protection and restoration of the region’s marine ecosystems. The full texts of the documents have not yet been made public.

The ministry stated that the bulletin represents the first comprehensive assessment of the overall state of the ecosystems of the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, the McCloud Bank, and adjacent reefs. The document separately describes the ecological condition of nine islands and reefs, which, according to the ministry, should serve as the basis for differentiated protection and management of their ecosystems.

According to the Chinese report, the overall state of the marine environment in the South China Sea remained stable last year. At the same time, its authors reported serious environmental degradation near two disputed shoals—Sandy Key and the Second Thomas Shoal.

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Regarding Sandy Ke, the Chinese side attributed the deterioration of the ecosystem to starfish outbreaks, tropical cyclones, and human activities, particularly construction work by the Philippines. According to the report, the percentage of live coral cover there has decreased by nearly 70% compared to 2016.

The document attributed the deterioration of the coral reefs at Second Thomas Shoal to the accumulation of debris, fishing nets, and the prolonged dumping of waste from a foreign military vessel, which, according to the report, had illegally run aground on the reef.

Last Saturday, the U.S. State Department rejected China’s claim that the Scarborough Shoal is a national nature reserve. Washington called this a unilateral attempt by Beijing to use environmental and legal pretexts to advance its territorial and maritime claims, as well as to restrict Philippine fishermen’s access to traditional fishing grounds.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gao Jiakun stated that the shoal has always been Chinese territory, and that the establishment and administration of the reserve is a sovereign right of the People’s Republic of China. Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the islands and reefs in the South China Sea; its claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.