China maps out claim to Scarborough Shoal amid dispute with Philippines

China has marked out its territorial claim to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea after the Philippines passed legislation outlining its rival claim.

On Sunday Beijing published a set of geographic coordinates for 16 base points around the feature, which it calls Huangyan island, the first time it has done so for parts of the sea claimed by Manila.

“Huangyan Dao [island] has always been China’s territory,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.

“This is a natural step by the Chinese government to lawfully strengthen marine management and is consistent with international law and common practices.”

The baselines for Scarborough Shoal were not newly drawn but announcing them was a “direct” response to the Philippine acts, according to a post on Yuyuan Tantian, a social media channel affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV.

“The reason we hadn’t published it earlier is that China has consistently taken a rational, restrained and responsible approach to handling maritime issues with neighbouring countries,” the post said.