The expansionary claims of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) throughout the South China Sea have no legal merit, according to an interdisciplinary team of experts who recently conducted a study on the issue. “In the name of enforcing its expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, the PRC is interfering with rights and freedoms, including navigational rights and freedoms, that are due to all states,” said Constance Arvis, acting deputy assistant secretary for oceans, fisheries, and polar affairs. Arvis said that there was “no coherent legal basis” for the PRC’s claims of sovereignty over vast portions of the South China Sea. Further, the Chinese regime efforts to draw baselines through international territory and undersea were inconsistent with numerous internationally recognized laws and norms. The comments came as part of a briefing by the State Department following the publication of a study that examined the legality of …