Press Statement

Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

Manila, July 2, 2025—The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, in partnership with IMPL-Project Philippines, trained over 180 fisherfolk from Zambales, Cagayan, and Sulu in a year-long program designed to expand their knowledge on sustainable fishing practices and to strengthen their ability in asserting their maritime rights in the South China Sea.  

 From June 2024 to May 2025, participating fisherfolk joined a series of workshops under the U.S. Embassy-sponsored “Empowering Coastal Communities in the Philippines” program, with trainers from the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.  They learned about maritime law enforcement, the Philippines’ sovereign maritime rights, strategies to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU fishing), and strengthening community information campaigns.  The program also enabled fisherfolk to explore alternative livelihood opportunities amid rising maritime tensions that have affected their access to traditional fishing grounds.

“It serves a vital role in mobilizing grassroots action and developing an informed citizenry to better address maritime challenges,” U.S. Embassy Deputy Director of Public Engagement Chad Kinnear said at the program’s closing event held in Masinloc, Zambales, on June 20.

A key outcome of the program was the establishment of three fisherfolk cooperatives: the Boundless Unity Steadfast and Inclusive Livelihood Agriculture Cooperative (BUSILAC) in Aparri, Cagayan; the Unified Livelihood Agriculture Cooperative (ULAC) in Zambales; and the Bangsa’Sug Fishermen Cooperative (BaSFC) in Sulu.  These cooperatives will provide thousands of fisherfolk with access to formal support and income-generating opportunities, while reinforcing their legal recognition as key stakeholders in coastal governance.

“Through the program, I learned the proper procedures for boat licensing and how to ensure our safety when fishing,” said Roland Fuentes, a fisherman from Zambales and ULAC vice chairman.

Participants also regarded the project as a meaningful step toward restoring fish stocks, building local resilience, and asserting the Philippines’ sovereign maritime rights in its exclusive economic zone. 

“We continue working toward long-term solutions to the maritime challenges our coastal communities face,” IMPL Philippines Executive Director Julius Suarez said.

By expanding support for local fisherfolk, the United States remains committed to strengthening coastal resilience, advancing economic opportunities, and encouraging community-led solutions to maritime challenges in the region. 

U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson
Remarks at the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea
“Peace and Stability in the South China Sea: The Stakes of the International Community” Panel
November 8, 2024

(As prepared)

Good morning! Many thanks to the Philippine National Security Council, the Philippine Coast Guard, and Pacific Forum for organizing this important event. And thank you to Ambassador Romualdez for opening the discussion. I’m honored to join this panel with Dindo and my colleagues.

The United States, the Philippines, and our likeminded partners share a common vision for a free, open, prosperous, connected, and resilient Indo-Pacific region. Standing up for the rules-based order in the South China Sea is an integral part of advancing this shared vision. This is why the United States has been unequivocal in supporting the historic 2016 Arbitral Tribunal decision, a milestone that affirmed the rights of the Philippines in the South China Sea as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Philippines and the United States are not alone – many nations have expressed support for the 2016 ruling, which, as set out in the text of the Convention, is final and legally binding on both the Philippines and the PRC. This is in part because of the implication of the ruling for the international community. By firmly rejecting the PRC’s expansive maritime claims and affirming the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea, the Tribunal showed that international law is more than just a concept and that it applies to all countries regardless of their relative economic or military power. The great Philippine diplomat and statesman, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario, characterized it best. International law, he said, “allows the weak to challenge the powerful on an equal footing, confident in the conviction that principles trump power; that law triumphs over force; and that right prevails over might.”

The PRC has taken the opposite approach – “might makes right” – giving preference to big nations over small ones, as if this concept should be taken as “just a fact of life.” Despite the indisputable fact that the decision is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute, the PRC continually rejects the tribunal’s ruling in its rhetoric and actions that clearly violate international law. The world has witnessed the PRC’s increasingly dangerous and escalatory actions over the past 18 months, as it unlawfully asserted a claim to territorial sovereignty over vast areas of ocean space, violently interfering with the Philippines’ high seas freedom of navigation in the waters, especially near Second Thomas Shoal, known here in the Philippines as Ayungin.

The PRC’s target is not only the Philippines, but also the lawful sovereign rights and jurisdiction over natural resources of Vietnam, Indonesia, and other ASEAN coastal states. Use of water cannons, ramming, and other aggressive actions demonstrate a disregard for lives and livelihoods. This further demonstrates that the PRC is unwilling to abide by international law – which rejects the PRC’s expansive maritime claims and supports the sovereign rights of the ASEAN South China Sea coastal States.

Upholding international law in the South China Sea – in addition to being the right thing to do from a legal standpoint – supports global prosperity. The Arbitral award affirmed that in vast maritime areas of the South China Sea, all nations enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight under international law, providing the legal foundation for trade, investment, and economic activity to thrive in the Indo-Pacific region. The South China Sea has some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, through which approximately one-third of the global economy runs. Total annual trade flowing through the South China Sea is estimated to be nearly $4 trillion U.S. dollars. It is also home to abundant biodiversity, and accounts for 12 percent of the global fish catch, generating $100 billion annually and supporting the livelihoods and critical dietary needs of millions. Zooming out, the Indo-Pacific region accounts for 60 percent of global GDP and two-thirds of global economic growth. Respect for freedom of the seas in the South China Sea is essential for this robust economic activity to continue.

I’m honored to sit with fellow representatives of countries who have made clear their support for the Philippines, the continued efficacy of international law, and for a free and open Indo-Pacific. We are far from alone. More and more nations – from East Asia to Western Europe – have spoken out to support the Philippines, uphold international law, and urge the PRC to cease escalatory and dangerous actions that impede the exercise of freedom of navigation and overflight from which all nations benefit. We are proud to be among the chorus of nations that have consistently lent their voices to supporting the Philippines and calling out unlawful and escalatory behavior. The collective voice of the international community is loud and getting louder, and it speaks to our common resolve in support of international law and the standards that benefit us all. We saw this common resolve in action this past September, when over 20 countries gathered on the margins of the UN General Assembly for a Ministerial discussion on maritime safety and security in the Asia-Pacific.

This panel carries the subtitle “the stakes of the international community.” It is clear: the stakes and the consequences are high. But together, as “friends, partners, and allies,” with international law on our side, we are determined to protect the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.

Thank you. Maraming, maraming salamat po.

United States Department of State 
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

Limits in the Seas
No. 150
People’s Republic of China: Maritime Claims in the South China Sea
https://www.state.gov/study-on-the-peoples-republic-of-chinas-south-china-sea-maritime-claims/
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/LIS150-SCS.pdf 
[Full Report in PDF format] 

Executive Summary 

This study examines the maritime claims of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea.  The PRC’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“Convention”). 

The PRC asserts four categories of maritime claims* in the South China Sea: 

• Sovereignty claims over maritime features.  The PRC claims “sovereignty” over more than one hundred features in the South China Sea that are submerged below the sea surface at high tide and are beyond the lawful limits of any State’s territorial sea.  Such claims are inconsistent with international law, under which such features are not subject to a lawful sovereignty claim or capable of generating maritime zones such as a territorial sea. 
• Straight baselines.  The PRC has either drawn, or asserts the right to draw, “straight baselines” that enclose the islands, waters, and submerged features within vast areas of ocean space in the South China Sea.  None of the four “island groups” claimed by the PRC in the South China Sea (“Dongsha Qundao,” “Xisha Qundao,” “Zhongsha Qundao,” and “Nansha Qundao”) meet the geographic criteria for using straight baselines under the Convention.  Additionally, there is no separate body of customary international law that supports the PRC position that it may enclose entire island groups within straight baselines. 
• Maritime zones.  The PRC asserts claims to internal waters, a territorial sea, an exclusive economic zone, and a continental shelf that are based on treating each claimed South China Sea island group “as a whole.”  This is not permitted by international law.  The seaward extent of maritime zones must be measured from lawfully established baselines, which are normally the low-water line along the coast.  Within its claimed maritime zones, the PRC also makes numerous jurisdictional claims that are inconsistent with international law. 
• Historic rights.  The PRC asserts that it has “historic rights” in the South China Sea. This claim has no legal basis and is asserted by the PRC without specificity as to the nature or geographic extent of the “historic rights” claimed. 

The overall effect of these maritime claims is that the PRC unlawfully claims sovereignty or some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea.  These claims gravely undermine the rule of law in the oceans and numerous universally-recognized provisions of international law reflected in the Convention.  For this reason, the United States and numerous other States have rejected these claims in favor of the rules-based international maritime order within the South China Sea and worldwide. 

* Islands in the South China Sea over which the PRC claims sovereignty are also claimed by other States.  This study examines only the maritime claims asserted by the PRC and does not examine the merits of sovereignty claims to islands in the South China Sea asserted by the PRC or other States.  The United States takes no position as to which country has sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea, which is not a matter governed by the law of the sea. 

References to the Philippines 

In 2016, having considered the PRC’s dashed-line claim, an arbitral tribunal convened in accordance with the Convention reached a similar conclusion in The South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China).  The arbitral tribunal issued a unanimous decision, which is final and binding on the Philippines and the PRC, finding that: China’s claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the “nine-dash line” are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention [and that] the Convention superseded any historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction in excess of the limits imposed therein.  

The PRC claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea islands (and numerous other maritime features, as discussed below).  Each island or group of islands is claimed by at least one other claimant: Philippines (Scarborough Reef and some of the Spratly Islands), Malaysia (some of the Spratly Islands), Brunei (Louisa Reef, within the Spratly Islands), Vietnam (Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands), and Taiwan (all islands and island groups).  The geographic features described above are located within the dashed lines that have appeared in various locations on some PRC maps since being published by the Nationalist government of the Republic of China in 1947. 

Numerous States, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States have protested the PRC’s baselines around the Paracel Islands as inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Convention. 

Although the PRC has not officially promulgated straight baselines around the areas it describes as Nansha Qundao, its statements asserting the right to draw such baselines have led to opposition by numerous States, including Australia, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.  Considering that very few States publicly protest excessive maritime claims, these protests by a relatively large number of States are a particularly forceful rejection of the PRC’s legal position.  

The tribunal’s award is final and binding on the PRC and the Philippines pursuant to Article 296 of the Convention. 

The international community, including littoral States of the South China Sea, has made clear that it rejects the PRC’s historic rights claim. Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam have all publicly objected to the PRC’s historic rights claim, which is inconsistent with international law.  The tribunal in The South China Sea Arbitration also rejected the PRC’s claims to historic rights in the South China Sea.   

Click here to read the Filipino version of the Executive Summary

Manila, November 23, 2020 —U.S. National Security Advisor (NSA) Robert C. O’Brien met with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr., Secretary of Finance Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez, National Security Advisor Hermogenes Esperon, Undersecretary for the Department of National Defense (DND) Cardozo Luna and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Erick Kagaoan in Manila on November 23.  NSA O’Brien visited the Philippines to affirm the strength of the U.S.-Philippines alliance and the depth of the broader bilateral relationship.  While in Manila, he announced the delivery of new U.S. military assistance in support of the Philippines’ emergency counterterrorism needs.  He also announced additional disaster relief for recent typhoon victims.

At the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), NSA O’Brien participated in the ceremonial handover of a tranche of precision-guided munitions to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.  This assistance will support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ efforts to defeat ISIS-East Asia in the Southern Philippines.  Present at the handover were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Locsin, who welcomed NSA O’Brien to the DFA, and senior DND and AFP officials.

Following the recent typhoons that ravaged the Philippines and forced thousands of people from their homes, NSA O’Brien announced an additional Php169 million ($3.5 million) in U.S. humanitarian assistance to disaster-stricken communities.  The United States Agency for International Development will work with implementing partners to address shelter, logistics, cash, water, sanitation and hygiene needs of typhoon victims.  NSA O’Brien also underscored ongoing U.S. assistance for the Philippines’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During meetings with senior Philippine officials, NSA O’Brien stressed the importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance to national and regional security, discussed opportunities for greater bilateral economic engagement, and highlighted the deep bonds connecting the U.S. and Philippine peoples.  He also raised the importance of maritime security and freedom of the seas, underscoring U.S. support for the Philippines’ sovereign rights to offshore resources in the South China Sea, consistent with its rights and obligations under international law.

Before departing the Philippines, NSA O’Brien laid a wreath at the Manila American Cemetery to honor the sacrifice and pay respects to the more than 17,000 fallen U.S. and Filipino soldiers buried there.

The Philippines was one of several stops in a three-country Indo-Pacific trip, following NSA O’Brien’s participation in the November 14 virtual U.S.-ASEAN Summit, where he dialogued with Southeast Asian partners to underscore the enduring U.S. commitment to ASEAN centrality and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The Philippines’ Future Floats in the West Philippine Sea

By U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim

The waters of the South China Sea are home to a dizzying array of marine resources, ranging from vast oil and gas reserves deep beneath the surface to the complex and beautiful ecosystems capable of supporting international seafood markets and unraveling scientific mysteries.  This is the patrimony of Southeast Asian nations, the lifeblood of their coastal communities, and the livelihood of millions of their citizens.  The United States stands alongside the Philippines and other Southeast Asian partners to uphold a rules-based order that ensures sovereign, sustainable, and productive access to the South China Sea and its resources.

At last month’s ASEAN Summit, ASEAN leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the South China Sea “as a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity.”  To strengthen our support for sovereignty and freedom of the seas, this week, the United States announced an important change in U.S. policy regarding maritime claims in the South China Sea.

As U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo explained, the United States rejects any People’s Republic of China (PRC) maritime claims within the Philippine’s Exclusive Economic Zone or continental shelf, and claims in waters beyond 12 nautical miles from the islands in the Spratlys.  Beijing’s harassment of Philippine fisheries and offshore energy development within those areas is unlawful, as are any unilateral PRC actions to exploit those resources.  Under the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award, which is final and legally binding, the Philippines enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources in its EEZ.  As Secretary of Foreign Affairs Locsin remarked this weekend on the anniversary of the ruling, “The arbitral tribunal’s award of 12 July 2016 represents a victory, not just for the Philippines, but for the entire community of consistently law-abiding nations.”

Why is this important?  Here in the Philippines, the West Philippine Sea epitomizes the rich marine diversity of this country.  In its waters, scientists have discovered hundreds of species of fish, coral, seagrass, and other marine life existing in interdependent systems that teach us about the planet’s complexity, fragility, and resilience.  These habitats not only provide the fish that fill Filipino fishing vessels (and Filipino plates), they also serve as spawning grounds for schools that populate seas throughout Southeast Asia.  Philippine scientists believe some of the species unique to these waters may also hold the key to biomedical breakthroughs, while climate researchers can study ecosystem changes to measure human impact on the environment.

Marine conservation begins with securing territorial integrity; when any nation uses coercion, subversion, disinformation, and other underhanded tactics to further its position in the South China Sea, it denies our friends and partners the right to build a sustainable future.  ASEAN leaders expressed concern over activities and serious incidents in the South China Sea which have “eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.”  The United States remains committed to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, and will continue to defend the right of freedom of navigation in international waters and airways.  Earlier this month, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group conducted dual-carrier operations with the Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carriers, demonstrating U.S. commitment to mutual defense agreements and promoting peace and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific.  The United States supports Philippine Coast Guard capacity to defend its waters by supplying expert training and new equipment.

Since the 1990s, the United States has supported Philippine marine and biodiversity conservation efforts.  Our Php1.3 billion five-year Fish Right project works alongside Philippine partners to strengthen the sustainable use of critical coastal and marine resources to benefit more than 2 million people.  When the COVID-19 pandemic further threatened marine livelihoods, Fish Right helped develop Fish Tiangge, an online marketplace connecting buyers and 6,000 fisherfolk in three of the Philippines’ most important areas for marine biodiversity.  American companies are also contributing, with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global development alliance promoting marine conservation and sustainable fishing in more than 150,000 hectares of biologically significant waters.

U.S. scientists and innovators are eager to join their Philippine colleagues in researching these waters to build a sustainable maritime framework – one that protects the West Philippine Sea’s rich and irreplaceable biodiversity while ensuring new generations benefit from its bounty and wonder.  Through the recently ratified U.S.-Philippines Science and Technology Agreement, together we are building new pathways to increased scientific collaboration in the West Philippine Sea and beyond.  Youth play a central role in achieving long-term marine sustainability.  We have partnered with alumni from the U.S. Young South East Asia Leadership Initiative exchange program for Sea and Earth Advocates (SEA) camps to train young conservation leaders and sponsored programs like the “Haquathon Summit,” where thirty-five teams developed tech-based solutions to save the seas.

Through these activities and our commitment to a free and open rules-based order that upholds the sovereign rights of all states regardless of size, power, and military capabilities, the United States will continue to support our Philippine friends, partners, and allies in conserving the rich marine biodiversity that make this island nation so special.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana met in Manila, Philippines on November 19, 2019, to discuss a broad range of shared security interests and priorities.  Both secretaries praised the enduring Philippines-United States Alliance, built on a strong foundation of shared values, sacrifices, and history, and bolstered by common interests and people-to-people ties.  They pledged to expand cooperation and strengthen the bilateral alliance, a 70-year partnership that ensures both countries’ mutual security and contributes to the peace, stability, and economic opportunity throughout the region.

Recalling Secretary Pompeo’s reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty during his March 2019 visit to Manila, both Secretaries reiterated the Mutual Defense Treaty’s applicability to the entire Pacific region, including the South China Sea (SCS).  The Secretaries discussed proposals to support the United States’ efforts to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines, improve maritime security capabilities and domain awareness, and provide rapid humanitarian assistance.  They confirmed their shared commitment to further deepen and expand defense cooperation by reinforcing respective national defense capabilities and interoperability, enhancing joint military exercises, disaster response initiatives, and cybersecurity awareness, and improving defense infrastructure through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Both sides have committed to focus on developing capabilities and enhancing cooperation in both the maritime and aerial domains through the conduct of Philippines-U.S. Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board activities that address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.  The Secretaries pledged to explore ways to increase our already robust defense cooperation by improving defense infrastructure and updating personnel and logistics procedures; adapting counterterrorism cooperation to evolving threats; and increasing operational communication and coordination.  Both secretaries emphasized the importance of the rule of law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.

The secretaries reaffirmed the commitment of both nations to counter terrorism and violent extremism.  The United States and the Philippines will build upon the existing foundation by continuing to improve information sharing and enhancing cooperation to prevent terrorist attacks and the transit of foreign terrorist fighters in and through the Philippines.

The United States and the Philippines reiterated their commitment to uphold freedom of navigation, overflight, other lawful uses of the sea in the South China Sea, and stressed the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.  The Philippines noted that, as an ASEAN member, it has a crucial role to play in ensuring that these principles are enshrined in an eventual Code of Conduct for South China Sea claimant states.

The United States acknowledged the importance of the unified vision and strategy enshrined in the member-adopted “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific” and recognized ASEAN centrality as integral to its Indo-Pacific Strategy.  Both sides committed to deepening their engagement with partners throughout the region based on inclusiveness, openness, rule of law, good governance, and respect for international law.