Disputed territory · South China Sea

Scarborough Shoal

Tense: China's coast guard controls accessUpdated November 1, 2026

Scarborough Shoal is a triangular ring of reef and rocks in the South China Sea, about 220 km west of Luzon, the Philippines' main island. China calls it Huangyan Dao. The Philippines calls it Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal. China's coast guard has controlled it since a 2012 standoff with the Philippines. Taiwan also claims it. A 2016 tribunal ruled that Filipino and Chinese fishers both have traditional fishing rights there and that China unlawfully kept Filipinos out. China rejects the ruling. In 2026 China kept more coast guard ships at the shoal than ever recorded.

Scarborough Shoal photographed from the International Space Station during Expedition 45, October 2015 (ISS045-E-77330). Photo: NASA Johnson Space Center, public domain.

Controlled by China since: 2012; coast guard ships, no permanent structures
Distance from Luzon: 220 km; about 850 km from mainland China
Tribunal ruling: 2016; traditional fishing rights for Filipinos and Chinese
Chinese coast guard presence: 933 ship-days; January to June 2026, a record (CSIS AMTI)
Held by: China
Claimed by: Philippines Taiwan

Scarborough Shoal in 30 seconds

Scarborough Shoal is a ring of reef and rocks about 220 km west of Luzon and about 850 km from mainland China. Nobody lives on it.
China's ships took control after a 2012 standoff. The Philippines says the United States brokered a mutual withdrawal, but China's ships stayed. China has never confirmed such a deal.
A 2016 tribunal ruled that the shoal's rocks earn a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea but no exclusive economic zone, that Filipino and Chinese fishers both have traditional rights there, and that China violated the Filipinos' rights. China rejects the ruling.
Since 2023, both sides have sent more ships and incidents have become more frequent: floating barriers, water cannon, rival baselines, a Chinese nature reserve, military drills and record Chinese coast guard patrols.

Who controls Scarborough Shoal?

China's coast guard has controlled Scarborough Shoal since June 2012. Chinese ships patrol the waters around the reef and decide which boats may enter the lagoon. China has not built permanent structures there, unlike the artificial islands it built in the Spratly Islands. Since October 2025, China has placed buoys, floating barriers and antennas around the shoal. The Philippine government said in June 2026 that it had counted eight such objects since October 2025.

China calls the shoal Huangyan Dao and treats it as part of its Zhongsha Islands. The Philippines calls it Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal and says it lies inside the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. Taiwan claims the shoal under the same Chinese name but has not tried to enforce the claim at sea.

On November 8, 2024, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Maritime Zones Act, which defines the Philippines' sea zones and includes the shoal. On November 10, China announced baselines around the shoal, the lines from which a country measures its territorial sea. Each government called the other's move illegal.

Who claims the shoal

ChinaControls it since 2012. Calls it Huangyan Dao.
PhilippinesCalls it Bajo de Masinloc. Says it lies in its EEZ.
TaiwanClaims it under the same Chinese name
South China SeaThe wider dispute, with six claimants

Map showing Scarborough Shoal about 220 km west of Luzon, with Manila, Subic Bay and Masinloc labeled and an approximate line 200 nautical miles from the Philippine coast — Scarborough Shoal (ringed): held by China since 2012, claimed by the Philippines and Taiwan Shortest distance to Luzon, about 220 km Approximate line 200 nautical miles from the Philippine coast The shoal is too small to see at this scale, so a ring marks it. The 200-mile line is measured from Luzon's coastline, not from official baselines. Map data: Natural Earth.

What happened in the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff?

On April 8, 2012, a Philippine Navy plane spotted eight Chinese fishing boats inside the shoal's lagoon. On April 10 the Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar arrived, and its crew boarded the boats. The Philippine Navy said it found illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks. Two Chinese maritime surveillance ships then moved between the Philippine ship and the fishing boats. China's embassy accused the Philippine ship of harassing Chinese fishermen in Chinese waters. More ships from both sides arrived over the following weeks.

The standoff lasted about two months. Former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario says US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell brokered an arrangement for both sides to withdraw. On June 15, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the last Philippine ships home as a typhoon approached. Chinese government ships stayed. China has never confirmed such a deal. Aquino later said China had not kept its side of it.

Under President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June 2016 and sought warmer ties with Beijing, Filipino fishermen regained some access to the shoal from late October 2016. Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June 2022, the Philippines sent more coast guard and fisheries ships to escort and supply Filipino fishermen, and confrontations with Chinese ships became more frequent.

The standoff and its aftermath

Apr 2012A Philippine Navy ship finds Chinese fishing boats inside the lagoon
Jun 2012The Philippines withdraws its ships. China's ships stay.
Jan 2013The Philippines starts arbitration against China
Jul 2016The tribunal rules on the shoal and on China's historic rights
Oct 2016Under Duterte, Filipino fishermen regain some access
Jun 2022Marcos takes office and sends more Philippine ships to the shoal

What did the 2016 tribunal rule about Scarborough Shoal?

On July 12, 2016, a tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled on a case brought by the Philippines. On Scarborough Shoal, it found three things. First, some of the shoal's rocks stay above water at high tide, so they generate a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. They cannot sustain human habitation or an economic life of their own, so they generate no 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Second, fishermen from the Philippines, China, Taiwan and Vietnam have traditional fishing rights at the shoal. Third, China violated the Filipino fishermen's rights by keeping them out from May 2012.

The tribunal did not rule on who owns the shoal, because the law of the sea does not cover sovereignty. China refused to take part. China says the tribunal had no jurisdiction, calls the award "null and void" and wants disputes settled in direct talks. Taiwan also rejected the award. On July 11-12, 2026, the award's 10th anniversary, 14 countries called it final and legally binding.

The tribunal's findings on Scarborough Shoal

Territorial seaThe rocks earn a 12-mile zone, but no 200-mile EEZ
Fishing rightsFilipino, Chinese and other fishers have traditional rights there
China's actionsChina unlawfully kept Filipino fishermen out from May 2012
SovereigntyNot decided. The tribunal could not rule on who owns it.

What happened at Scarborough Shoal from 2023 to 2025?

In September 2023, on President Marcos's orders, Philippine Coast Guard divers cut loose a floating barrier about 300 meters long across the lagoon's entrance. China's coast guard said it had driven away a Philippine fisheries ship. China placed new barriers in February and April 2024. On April 30, 2024, Chinese coast guard water cannon damaged two Philippine ships. China's coast guard said it had driven away Philippine ships that intruded illegally.

On February 18, 2025, a Chinese Navy helicopter flew within about 3 meters of a Philippine fisheries plane, the Philippine Coast Guard said. China's military said the plane had entered Chinese airspace illegally. On August 11, 2025, a Chinese coast guard ship collided with a Chinese Navy destroyer while both were chasing a Philippine coast guard ship near the shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard said it was escorting boats bringing aid to Filipino fishermen. China's coast guard said it had expelled Philippine vessels and did not mention the collision. On September 10, China declared a 3,524-hectare nature reserve at the shoal. China said the reserve would protect the reef's ecosystem. The Philippines called it illegal, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the Philippines. On September 16, Chinese water cannon broke a window on a Philippine fisheries ship and injured one crew member. China said it had expelled ships that intruded into Chinese waters.

From the barrier to the nature reserve

Sep 2023The Philippines cuts loose a Chinese floating barrier
Apr 2024Chinese water cannon damages two Philippine ships
Nov 2024The Philippines passes its Maritime Zones Act. China draws baselines around the shoal.
Feb 2025A Chinese Navy helicopter flies close to a Philippine fisheries plane
Aug 2025Chinese navy and coast guard ships collide while chasing a Philippine ship
Sep 2025China declares a nature reserve. Water cannon injures a Philippine crew member.

What is happening at Scarborough Shoal now?

In 2026 China kept more coast guard ships at the shoal than ever before. CSIS AMTI, a US research group, counted 933 Chinese coast guard ship-days in the first half of 2026. That is its highest count since it began tracking in 2019, and nearly as many as in all of 2025. China's Southern Theater Command also announced naval and air patrols around the shoal in January and March. On July 31 and August 1, five Chinese warships drilled near the shoal, the Philippine military said.

In late May, Chinese research ships placed a floating platform in the lagoon. China said it was for studying the reef. The Philippines protested, and China removed it in June. On July 23 and 24, Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon at Philippine fisheries ships bringing fuel to Filipino fishermen. China's coast guard said it had lawfully acted against Philippine vessels in Chinese waters. On July 29, the Philippines deposited a chart of the shoal's baselines with the United Nations. China called it illegal and void.

On October 30, the Southern Theater Command ran combat readiness patrols around the shoal and called them a response to Philippine provocations. The same day, the Philippine Coast Guard reported a Chinese ship in the lagoon carrying unidentified equipment with sensors.

Scarborough Shoal in 2026

Mar 2026China's Southern Theater Command patrols around the shoal
Jun 2026China removes a floating research platform from the lagoon
Jul 2026Water cannon hits a Philippine ship. Manila files its baselines chart at the UN.
Aug 2026Chinese warships and bombers drill near the shoal
Oct 2026China runs combat readiness patrols around the shoal

Could China build on Scarborough Shoal?

China has not built permanent structures on the shoal. From 2013 to 2016, China turned seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into artificial islands, three of them with runways. Analysts have long watched for signs that China might build at Scarborough Shoal, which is much closer to Luzon.

Under Chinese rules for nature reserves, construction is banned in a reserve's core zone but allowed in its experimental zone. Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said the 2025 reserve could let China build a research station. China said the platform it placed in the lagoon in 2026 was for scientific research. Philippine officials, including the National Security Council, have called any construction at the shoal a red line. As of November 2026, no permanent building had been reported.

A base at Scarborough Shoal would sit about 270 km from Subic Bay, a former US naval base, and about 350 km from Manila. The United States says its 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines covers armed attacks on Philippine forces, including the coast guard, anywhere in the South China Sea.

Distance

220 km

From Scarborough Shoal to Luzon

The shoal lies about 220 km west of the nearest point on Luzon, the Philippines' main island. It lies about 850 km from mainland China and about 870 km from China's Hainan island. The Paracel Islands, which China holds, are about 600 km away.

Why does Scarborough Shoal matter?

Fish
The lagoon and the reef around it are rich fishing grounds. Fishermen from Masinloc and other towns in Zambales province, on Luzon's west coast, have fished there for generations. Chinese fishermen fish there too. The 2016 tribunal recognized traditional fishing rights for both. China's coast guard decides which boats may enter the lagoon.
Military position
A permanent Chinese base at Scarborough Shoal would sit about 220 km from Luzon and within about 300 km of Subic Bay and Clark, where Philippine forces are based and US forces train. China says its ships at the shoal are enforcing the law in Chinese waters.
The 2016 ruling
The Philippines and its partners treat the shoal as a test of the 2016 tribunal ruling. Fourteen countries called the ruling final and legally binding on its 10th anniversary in July 2026. China says the tribunal had no jurisdiction, calls the ruling null and void, and wants the claimants to settle disputes in direct talks.

Questions about Scarborough Shoal

Who owns Scarborough Shoal?

No court has ruled on sovereignty. The 2016 tribunal found that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to resources inside its dashed line, but it did not say who owns the shoal. China controls it with coast guard ships. China says Chinese fishermen have used the shoal for centuries and that a Yuan dynasty astronomer surveyed it in 1279. The Philippines says it has long used and administered the shoal and cites Spanish-era maps such as the 1734 Murillo Velarde map. China also says the shoal lies outside the limits that the treaties of 1898 and 1900 set for Philippine territory, and that the Philippines did not claim it before 1997. The Philippines says its claim rests on effective occupation and jurisdiction since independence, not on those treaties. Taiwan also claims it.

Can Filipino fishermen fish at Scarborough Shoal?

The 2016 tribunal ruled that Filipino fishermen have traditional fishing rights at the shoal. China rejects the ruling, and in practice China's coast guard decides who enters the lagoon. Under President Duterte, Filipino fishermen regained some access after 2016. Under President Marcos, Philippine government ships have escorted and supplied fishermen near the shoal. Chinese coast guard ships have fired water cannon at Philippine ships there several times, including in September 2025 and July 2026.

Is Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone?

The shoal lies about 120 nautical miles from Luzon, inside the 200-nautical-mile zone the Philippines claims. The 2016 tribunal found that the shoal's rocks generate their own 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, which belongs to whichever country has sovereignty over them. The tribunal did not decide that question. China rejects the ruling and says the shoal and its waters are Chinese.

What is the difference between Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands?

Scarborough Shoal is a single reef about 220 km from Luzon. China's coast guard patrols it, and nobody lives on it. The Spratly Islands are a group of over 100 small features spread across the southern South China Sea, held by five governments. China built seven artificial islands there from 2013 to 2016. The wider South China Sea dispute covers both.

What would the United States do if China attacked the Philippines at Scarborough Shoal?

The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty commits the United States and the Philippines to act, in line with their constitutional processes, if the other's armed forces, public ships or aircraft are attacked in the Pacific. Guidelines the two countries signed in May 2023 say this covers coast guard ships anywhere in the South China Sea. No US administration has said exactly what kind of Chinese action would trigger the treaty. US warships also sail near the shoal. On August 13, 2025, China said it drove the US destroyer USS Higgins away from the shoal. The US Navy called that false and said the ship was exercising freedom of navigation.