The United States on Thursday backed the Philippines in criticizing a unilateral seasonal ban on fishing declared by Beijing in the dispute-rife South China Sea. The State Department pointed to a 2016 ruling by a court in The Hague that rejected Beijing's claims, as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified by China although not by the United States. "The PRC's unilateral fishing moratorium in the South China sea is inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and international law," State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter, using an acronym for the People's Republic China. "We call upon the PRC to abide by its obligations under international law."

US backs PH protest of China fishing ban. (2022, June 4). The Manila Times, pp. A1-A2.