Pompeo Formally Rejects China's South China Sea Claims

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a formal US policy statement declaring China's maritime claims in the South China Sea 'completely unlawful' and aligned US policy with the 2016 PCA ruling. The statement specifically named Scarborough Shoal, Mischief Reef, Second Thomas Shoal, Vanguard Bank (Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (Malaysia), and Brunei's EEZ as areas where China had no legal claim. This marked the strongest US rejection of China's nine-dash line to date.