China Releases Fishing and Mining Ban Rules for Scarborough Shoal 'Nature Reserve'

China released a formal set of management rules on August 1, 2026 for the "national nature reserve" it declared around Scarborough Shoal in 2025, banning unauthorized fishing, mining, and harvesting of corals and giant clams, and mandating regular patrols to enforce the restrictions. The rules effectively formalize China's exclusion of Filipino fishers from waters the Philippines considers part of its exclusive economic zone. The move drew criticism a week later from the United States, which called it a "dubious" environmental and legal pretext to advance China's maritime claims.