US slams Chinese actions in South China Sea
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including the flashpoint Scarborough Shoal, despite an international ruling that its assertion lacks any legal basis.
Washington has condemned China's actions in the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of destabilizing the region. The United States alleges that China is using dubious environmental justifications to bolster its territorial claims in the contested Scarborough Shoal, located 240km off the Philippine island of Luzon and well away from mainland China.
Both China and the Philippines lay claim to the coral atoll, which is rich in marine life. The U.S. rejects China's ongoing attempts to enforce its so-called national nature reserve at Scarborough Reef and restrict Filipino fishermen's access to their customary fishing grounds. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott described China's actions as "unilateral" and backed by coercion, aimed at advancing Beijing's expansive territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea to the detriment of neighboring nations.
Recently, China released new rules governing the management of the nature reserve it established last year around the shoal. Despite this, China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the disputed shoal, despite a ruling from an international tribunal that its claim lacks any legal foundation. Tensions between China and the Philippines frequently flare up over contested territories, with the most recent incidents occurring last month.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
