The defense secretaries of the United States and the Philippines jointly denounced China’s “gray-zone” operations—activities that just fall short of war—in the South China Sea, saying these acts interfere with the livelihood of Filipino fishermen. In a readout provided by the US Department of Defense following a phone call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez, the two officials also called out Beijing for its activities that impede the rights of other claimant states “that seek to operate lawfully in the South China Sea consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling.”

Requejo, R. E., & Cruz, M. V. (2023, March 22). US, PH blast China ‘grey zone’ ops in SCS ‘impeding’ fishermen’s rights. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.