Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal)

Source: LM

Context: China announced the creation of a national nature reserve on Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) in the South China Sea.

About Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal):

• What it is?

• A disputed coral atoll in the South China Sea, also called Scarborough Shoal (English), Huangyan Island (China), and Panatag Shoal (Philippines).

• Location: About 220 km west of Luzon (Philippines) and near the Manila Trench.

• History:

• First appeared on the 1734 Velarde Map of the Philippines, claimed under Spanish rule and later the Treaty of Washington (1900). Named “Scarborough” after the British ship that grounded there in 1748. Subject of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff between China and the Philippines. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under UNCLOS invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claims but did not rule on sovereignty.

• First appeared on the 1734 Velarde Map of the Philippines, claimed under Spanish rule and later the Treaty of Washington (1900).

• Named “Scarborough” after the British ship that grounded there in 1748.

• Subject of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff between China and the Philippines.

• In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under UNCLOS invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claims but did not rule on sovereignty.

• Dispute:

• Claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Strategic for fisheries, hydrocarbon resources, and military presence.

• Claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

• Strategic for fisheries, hydrocarbon resources, and military presence.

About South China Sea:

• Location:

• A marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bounded by: Northeast: Taiwan Strait, linking to East China Sea. East: Philippines. South: Borneo, Gulf of Thailand, Malay Peninsula. West/North: Asian mainland (China, Vietnam).

• Northeast: Taiwan Strait, linking to East China Sea.

• East: Philippines.

• South: Borneo, Gulf of Thailand, Malay Peninsula.

• West/North: Asian mainland (China, Vietnam).

• Features:

• Contains Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and Macclesfield Bank. Vital trade route – ~1/3rd of global shipping passes through. Rich in oil, gas, and fisheries resources. Strategic chokepoints: Luzon Strait, Malacca Strait, Taiwan Strait.

• Contains Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and Macclesfield Bank.

• Vital trade route – ~1/3rd of global shipping passes through.

• Rich in oil, gas, and fisheries resources.

• Strategic chokepoints: Luzon Strait, Malacca Strait, Taiwan Strait.