evidence: These shared interests have come under unprecedented threat from the Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC). Beijing uses intimidation to undermine the sovereign rights of Southeast Asian coastal states in the South China Sea, bully them out of offshore resources, assert unilateral dominion, and replace international law with âmight makes right.â Beijingâs approach has been clear for years. In 2010, then-PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his ASEAN counterparts that âChina is a big country and other countries are small countries and that is just a fact.â The PRCâs predatory world view has no place in the 21st century. [...] As the United States has previously stated, and as specifically provided in the Convention, the Arbitral Tribunalâs decision is final and legally binding on both parties. Today we are aligning the U.S. position on the PRCâs maritime claims in the SCS with the Tribunalâs decision. Specifically: [...] The PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from Chinaâs coast. James Shoal is often cited in PRC propaganda as the âsouthernmost territory of China.â International law is clear: An underwater feature likeÂ James Shoal cannot be claimed by any state and is incapable of generating maritime zones. James Shoal (roughly 20 meters below the surface) is not and never was PRC territory, nor can Beijing assert any lawful maritime rights from it.