US backs Philippines in China fishing ban

This undated file handout combo photo taken by the Philippine Navy and released by the Department of Foreign Affairs shows Chinese fishing vessels after they were intercepted by Philippine naval ships. - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States on Thursday (June 2) backed the Philippines in criticising a unilateral seasonal ban on fishing declared by Beijing in the dispute-rife South China 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.