How is China protecting the South China Sea on all fronts?

Editor's Note: Ten years after the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration Award" case, CGTN presents a special series examining China's position on the South China Sea from four perspectives. Drawing on historical evidence and insights from Chinese and international experts, the series seeks to highlight that, rather than resolving disputes, the so-called arbitration has become a poisoned legacy – fueling confrontation, distorting the application of international law, and undermining peace and stability in the region.

China has made significant progress in marine ecological protection across the South China Sea in recent years, transforming once-barren reefs into thriving ecosystems through sustained conservation efforts, scientific innovation and robust governance.

Island greening

On Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Qundao, what foreign experts once dismissed as having a plant survival rate of less than 5% has been transformed into a "marine forest." The number of plant species on the reef has grown from fewer than 20 to over 120, with greenery rates now exceeding many urban planning standards, Zhong Chaohua, a member of the island-reef ecological and environmental protection management authorities, told Science and Technology Daily in December 2025. Through innovative organic fertilization methods, the reef's sand salinity dropped from 1.38‰ to 0.443‰, boosting plant survival rates to over 90%.

Coral reef restoration

Around Weizhou Island off the coast of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a 2,000-square-meter restoration demonstration zone built by a research team from Guangxi University's School of Marine Sciences saw live coral coverage rise from approximately 5% to 20% in just three years.

"In 2023, with strong support from the Beihai municipal government and the Weizhou Island Management Committee, the team further deployed 1,520 artificial reefs and transplanted more than 80,000 coral colonies, restoring 450 mu (about 30 hectares) of sea area," said Huang Wen, an associate professor at Guangxi University's School of Marine Sciences. Coral species increased from 46 to 62, and the area has become the only part of China's coastal waters where large whales are regularly sighted.

Wildlife recovery

In June, a scientific expedition team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' South China Sea Institute of Oceanology discovered a large population of green sea turtles – a nationally protected wild animal – in the seagrass beds of Huangyan Dao's lagoon, with preliminary observations counting more than 50 individuals. 

The discovery, made possible by drone-based survey technology, indicates that the lagoon has developed a mature coral reef-seagrass composite ecosystem, providing an ideal habitat for ecologically important marine species.

Technology at the forefront

Advanced technology is enhancing the precision of conservation efforts.

In January, the South China Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources completed its first comprehensive remote sensing monitoring mission for mangroves across the region. The mission successfully monitored over 20,000 mangrove patches, identified 39 sites of human disturbance, and assessed 174 restoration projects, securing two national invention patents in the process.

On Zhubi Reef, an ocean environment monitoring station now provides round-the-clock surveillance of surrounding waters, with water temperature, salinity and pH readings updated every 10 minutes.