An international tribunal ruled on Tuesday against China's claims that it had "historical rights" in the South China Sea. The dispute over the rights to the 3.5 million kilometers of waters in the Pacific Ocean has been an ongoing battle between China and the Philippines and the latest ruling risks increased tensions in the area.
The decision, brought by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, was welcomed in Manila but Beijing’s reaction was anger and rejection, claiming that it "neither accepts nor recognizes" the ruling.
Map with a Nine-Dash Line
According to Beijing, most of the South China Sea, including the waters approaching neighboring countries, is part of its sovereign territory, backing up its arguments with Chinese maps dating back to the 1940s marked with a so-called nine-dash line. The PCA claims that Beijing has no historic rights to resources in South China Sea waters nor do they comply with the select economic zones designated in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both countries are parties.
The Hague ruling sets out clearly the rights and obligations of the various parties involved in the quarrel, with the Philippines clearly the winner. The tribunal extends to Manila the legal rights to the economic zone extending 200 miles from its coast into the China South Sea with all the rights to enjoy the resources—fishing, hydrocarbons and minerals--that may exist beneath the seabed.
China’s claims to the waters have resulted over the years in frequent military brushes between Beijing and its Asian neighbors--the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan--which circle the waters that are believed to hold untapped oil and gas reserves, certainly a major factor in the dispute. The U.S. which has key defense treaties with many allies in the area, as well as the other regional countries, is now concerned that China’s reaction may lead to renewed military action on the ground and/or in the water.
China refuses to accept the tribunal's authority to rule on the dispute over the strategically vital region, and has already held several naval drills between the Paracels and the southern Chinese island of Hainan in recent days. It has also built artificial islands out of the natural reefs that can accommodate military planes. One newspaper, the Global Times newspaper, which is run by the Communist Party, called on China to ‘prepare for military confrontation’ on the PCA decision.
US to Blame?
Beijing blames the PCA ruling on a U.S. led conspiracy with the Philippines which brought the case against the world’s most populous country to the Hague. This is not the first time allegations have been flung at the U.S. by China. In the past, the U.S. was accused of escalating tensions in the South China Sea by conducting "freedom of navigation" naval operations, forging alliances with countries with competing claims on the area and being selective with the implementation of international law.
According to Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, the U.S. “is always selective when it comes to the application of international law: citing international law when it sees fit and discarding international law when it sees otherwise. It keeps urging others to abide by the UNCLOS while refusing to ratify the convention to this day.”