U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday backed the Philippines in protesting Beijing’s plan for a “nature reserve” on disputed Scarborough Shoal, saying it was part of a “coercive” strategy in the South China Sea.

“The US stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilizing plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef,” Rubio wrote on X.

“This is yet another coercive attempt to advance China’s interests at the expense of its neighbors and regional stability,” he wrote.

China on Wednesday announced plans for a reserve to maintain “diversity, stability and sustainability of the natural ecosystem of Huangyan Island,” using its term for the contested chain of reefs.

The Philippines charged that China was looking at exerting territorial control rath

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