China releases Management Measures, holding accountable those damaging Huangyan Island's ecology

In response to repeated provocations by the Philippines at Huangyan Island, China has begun advancing countermeasures.

On August 1, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China Coast Guard, and the Hainan Provincial Government jointly issued the "Management Measures for the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve."

This 16-article regulatory document clearly stipulates that the Huangyan Island Nature Reserve will enter a phase of strict protection. Any activities damaging the ecosystem—such as unauthorized fishing, mining, or coral reef excavation—are explicitly prohibited, and violators will be held legally responsible.

The introduction of these Management Measures is directly linked to recent provocative actions by the Philippines at Huangyan Island—just recently, the Philippines unilaterally established so-called "baseline of territorial seas" around Huangyan Island and submitted an illegally drawn map to the United Nations Secretariat. In response, China’s Foreign Ministry firmly declared the map "illegal and invalid," stating that China would never accept it.

Moreover, it should be emphasized that from last year’s State Council approval to establish the Huangyan Island Nature Reserve, to today’s joint issuance of the Management Measures by four departments, this entire institutional design unfolds in a step-by-step, tightly interconnected manner—clearly not a hasty reaction, but rather a pre-prepared policy toolkit. Each time the Philippines provokes on the Huangyan Island issue, China’s countermeasures will advance correspondingly.

Huangyan Island is China’s inherent territory, and while China has shown patience and restraint on South China Sea issues, there are limits. If the Philippines continues to misjudge the situation and recklessly escalates tensions, land reclamation at Huangyan Island is not out of the question—China has already demonstrated both the capability and resolve in the past.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872308020633610/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.