The US Embassy in Manila reiterated on Wednesday its stand against unlawful maritime claims in Philippine waters following the circulation of photos showing what looked like developed military bases on China's artificial islands.
Kanishka Gangopadhyay, the embassy's spokesman, called on China to fulfill its treaty obligations under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, and comply with the legally binding decision of the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016.
For the embassy, the ruling "delivered a unanimous and binding decision firmly rejecting the PRC's (People's Republic of China's) expansive and unlawful maritime claims."
"As Ambassador (MaryKay) Carlson said at the Mangrove Forum event October 26, we stand together with our Philippine allies to oppose attempts by those who seek to advance unlawful maritime claims in the Philippine exclusive economic zone or on its continental shelf," Gangopadhyay told Manila Bulletin.
His remark came when asked about photos taken by Getty Images' photographer Ezra Acayan showing airfields and structures on some of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea, including on the reclaimed islands of Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross.
According to Adm. John C. Aquilino, heads of the US Indo-Pacific Command, the islands have become fully militarized.