The United States on Thursday backed the Philippines in criticizing 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.

"The PRC's unilateral fishing moratorium in the South China Sea is inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and international law," State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China.

"We call upon the PRC to abide by its obligations under international law."

The Philippines, a treaty-bound ally of the United States, on Tuesday summoned a Chinese diplomat over the announcement of a unilateral fishing ban as well as alleged harassment of a marine research vessel by a Chinese coast guard ship.

China has each year declared a fishing ban in the summer, pointing to the need to develop sustainable marine life due to overfishing in the major population hub.

But its actions have been caught up in disputes over sovereignty, with Beijing insisting it has jurisdiction over a vast part of the South China Sea -- a longstanding source of friction with the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

How electric fish were able to evolve electric organs
Austin TX (SPX) Jun 02, 2022
Electric organs help electric fish, such as the electric eel, do all sorts of amazing things: They send and receive signals that are akin to bird songs, helping them to recognize other electric fish by species, sex and even individual. A new study in Science Advances explains how small genetic changes enabled electric fish to evolve electric organs. The finding might also help scientists pinpoint the genetic mutations behind some human diseases. Evolution took advantage of a quirk of fish genetics ... read more