The United States underscored the United Nations arbitral tribunal’s 2016 decision invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea is “final” and “legally binding,” as Washington strongly opposed Beijing’s efforts to assert its “unlawful” maritime claims. The US Department of State over the weekend emphasized that violating the tribunal decision that rejected China’s nine-dash line maritime claim would be unlawful. Last July 12 marked three years since the Permanent Court of Arbitration found that China’s claim of historic rights in the South China Sea was baseless. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said The Hague-based tribunal also found China’s activities relating to the construction of artificial islands and the practices of Chinese fishermen violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) requirements for the protection of the marine environment.

Lee-Brago, P. (2019, July 15). US: SCS ruling legally bining on China, Phl. The Philippine Star, p. 4.