US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken delivered a note stressing the necessity to abide by international law and cease provocative behavior.

Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said the landmark 2016 ruling on the South China Sea is the anchor of the Philippines' policy in the disputed islands. The Philippines firmly rejects attempts to undermine the rulings, which he said are no longer within the reach of denial and rebuttal.

During phone talks with the Philippines Foreign Minister, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed opposition to use of force to change the status quo in the seas. The two Foreign Ministers affirmed that both countries will seek peaceful resolutions for disputes in accordance with the PCA rulings.

On July 12, 2016, the PCA issued a ruling on the Philippines' case against China regarding disputes in the East Sea. It said that China's claim of "historic rights" to the waters within the so-called "nine-dash line" is contrary to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The ruling said that China has caused long-term harm to the coral reef ecosystem in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago. China has no historical evidence for the waters in the East Sea and Beijing has no legal basis to claim its "historic rights" for resources in what Beijing calls the "nine-dash line".