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. This developed as Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the ban won’t be enforced anywhere in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine 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.

Requejo, R. E. (2022, June 4). US backs PH protest vs. China's fish ban. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.