Taipei, Sept. 12 -- Taiwan has strongly condemned China's move to designate Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve, reaffirming its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands.

The decision, approved by Beijing's State Council on Tuesday, has also drawn sharp criticism from the Philippines, which accused China of violating its territorial rights, Taipei Times reported.

According to the Taipei Times, the contested shoal is known by different names in the region: Democracy Reef in Taiwan, Huangyan Island in China, and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. China justified the reserve designation as a step to preserve the area's biodiversity and ecological stability. However, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) firmly rejected ...