WASHINGTON

The US on Friday rejected China’s announcement to establish a national nature reserve in the South China Sea, calling the move a "destabilizing" attempt to assert sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the region.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US “stands with our Philippine ally in rejecting China’s destabilizing plans to establish a ‘national nature reserve’ at Scarborough Reef.”

"Beijing claiming Scarborough Reef as a nature preserve is yet another coercive attempt to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors, including by preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing these traditional fishing grounds," Rubio added.

He urged China to comply with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling, which concluded that Beijing had unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from operating in Scarborough Reef. “The decision is final and legally binding on both parties,” he said.

The Philippines "strongly" protested Beijing's nature reserve in the disputed South China Sea, calling the reserve "illegitimate and unlawful," according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.

Beijing announced on Wednesday that China’s State Council had approved the creation of the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve, describing it as “a crucial guarantee for safeguarding the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the natural ecosystem” on the disputed island.