Philippines / South China Sea
Fishing rights, damaged reefs and an arbitral award
The tribunal found violations involving Philippine resource rights, interference with traditional fishing access at Scarborough Shoal, harmful wildlife harvesting and severe coral-reef damage. The official summary also explains that it did not decide sovereignty over land territory. China rejected the arbitration and award.
Arbitral findings2016-07-12 award · Reviewed September 8, 2026
What the record establishes
The tribunal found violations involving Philippine resource rights, interference with traditional fishing access at Scarborough Shoal, harmful wildlife harvesting and severe coral-reef damage. The official summary also explains that it did not decide sovereignty over land territory. China rejected the arbitration and award.18
Why it matters
a clearly labeled comparative case of state conduct and marine-resource harm. It is not evidence that a squid ship off Peru is a maritime-militia vessel.
The sequence
Period covered by this record
Read the cited findings and their stated limits. This is a dated case or context record, not live vessel monitoring.18
Responses and legal posture
The linked record does not establish a separate response obtained by this project. No outreach was conducted for this file.
What remains unresolved
any contemporary vessel- or militia-specific feature needs separate dated evidence. AMTI/C4ADS’ specialized militia research is a starting point for that task, not a basis for blanket attribution.
State conduct directly at issue in arbitral findings
How to read the evidence labels →Sources for this file
The South China Sea Arbitration: Press Release No. 11 ↗
Printed p. 10: Chinese activities and marine environment
Source limits
Tribunal conclusions must be distinguished from party submissions; no adjudication of land sovereignty. Not an Americas fleet case.
Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Maritime Militia ↗
Methods and vessel-role identification
Source limits
Cannot project identified South China Sea roles onto distant-water ships without vessel-specific evidence.
