Beijing’s nature reserve move in disputed South China Sea seen as bid for moral high ground

BEIJING/MANILA – China’s unusual move to designate the disputed Scarborough Shoal as a nature reserve underscores how Beijing is increasingly using environmental protection to justify its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The move gives China a platform to project itself as a responsible steward of the waters and showcases its environmental credentials amid growing claims that it is causing ecological damage, said analysts.