China’s expanded nine-dash line policy on which it based its claim to the entire West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is artificial and contravenes international laws, United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg said on Friday.

“Any use of the nine-dash line now becoming 10-dash-line based on historical argument that China is invoking to claim maritime rights is not based on land-based feature and will be inconsistent with the international laws. We believe in upholding the Declaration of Conduct and making it mandatory. Obviously, this [nine-dash line] is an artificial creation and is not a part of that [declaration],” Goldberg said during a Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa) forum on the Enhanced Cooperation Defense Agreement between the US and the Philippines held in Makati City (Metro Manila).

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