Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned China’s recently announced plan to establish a nature reserve on one of the most hotly contested shoals in the South China Sea, which rival claimant the Philippines has already protested.

The Chinese government approved a proposal on Wednesday to create a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, which its National Forestry and Grassland Administration said would cover more than 3,500 hectares at Huangyan Island, the Chinese name for it.