China declares nature reserve at disputed shoal in South China Sea

WASHINGTON, D.C.: China's decision to designate a new nature reserve in the South China Sea has added a fresh layer to its long-running effort to tighten control over one of the world's most contested maritime regions.

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced last week that the reserve would safeguard the coral ecosystem around Huangyan Island, better known internationally as Scarborough Shoa