China rates Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal healthy in second reef report
- Days after accusing the Philippines of polluting part of the South China Sea, Beijing says environmental quality at another reef is ‘excellent’
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, a “comprehensive” examination of the ecological environment surrounding Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China – determined that the environmental quality of its waters was “excellent”.
Scarborough Shoal is claimed by both Beijing and Manila and has been effectively controlled by China since an intense stand-off in 2012. Filipino fishermen have been barred by the Chinese coastguard from entering the lagoon ever since.
The latest investigation’s results were unveiled on Wednesday at a briefing by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The investigating team was formed from three of the ministry’s agencies.
The team conducted a “systematic on-site investigation” from May to June, covering seawater quality, biological quality and marine debris, as well as coral communities. Satellite remote sensing technology was also used in the analysis, CCTV said.
Residues of pollutants were found to be below the evaluation standard limits, the coral reef ecosystem was “healthy”, and the diversity of reef-building coral species was said to be “rich”.