A decision invalidating China&#39;s vast claims in the South China Sea was a &quot;crowning glory&quot; that renews faith in international law, the&nbsp;Philippines&#39; top lawyer said on Friday, in Manila&#39;s strongest comment yet on its sweeping win.

The remarks by solicitor general Jose Calida follow two days of carefully calibrated responses from the&nbsp;Philippines&nbsp;and are almost certain to irritate China further.

Manila has so far been keen not to rock the boat in the hope of starting dialogue towards Beijing allowing it to exercise what the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled were its sovereign maritime rights.

&quot;It confirms that no one state can claim virtually an entire sea. The award is a historic win not only for the&nbsp;Philippines&nbsp;... it renews humanity&#39;s faith in a rules based global order,&quot; Calida told a forum on the South China Sea.

&quot;The award opens a horizon of possibilities for all stakeholders. The award is a crowning glory of international law.&quot;

China has refused to recognise Tuesday&#39;s ruling and did not take part in its proceedings. It has reacted angrily to calls by Western countries for the decision to be adhered to.

China&#39;s foreign ministry on Friday said Beijing&#39;s position on the case had the support of Laos, the current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc long dogged by discord over how to deal with China&#39;s maritime assertiveness.

The verdict was discussed on Thursday between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith ahead a regional summit in Mongolia.

&quot;Thongloun said that Laos supports China&#39;s position, and is willing to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region,&quot; the ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not elaborate. Laos&#39; foreign ministry has not responded to Reuters&#39; request for comment on the ruling and its state media made no mention of Thongloun&#39;s comments to Li.

Land-locked Laos, which is boosting economic ties with China, will be hosting a key security meeting later this month at which the South China Sea is expected to dominate. ASEAN has not issued a statement about the ruling and its members have not said why.

Cautious Approach

China has said it has widespread support for its rejection of the case but many countries have stuck to cautious comments about resolving disputes peacefully and following international laws.

China claims much of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the&nbsp;Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

Philippines&#39; President Rodrigo Duterte ended his unusual silence at a private function late on Thursday and said he wanted dialogue with China and was considering sending former President Fidel Ramos to Beijing to get the ball rolling.

&quot;War is not an option,&quot; he said. &quot;So, what is the other side? -&nbsp;Peaceful talk.&quot;

Immediately after the ruling, the normally brash and outspoken Duterte privately told his ministers to be magnanimous and not to pique Beijing, according to one minister.

But the cautious tone appears to be changing in the&nbsp;Philippines, where there are signs of public disgruntlement with the subdued government response to a decision that most of the country was celebrating.

The United States, a key&nbsp;Philippines&#39; ally, is urging Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on the court ruling, according to US&nbsp;administration officials.

The chief of its naval operations, Admiral John Richardson will discuss the South China Sea among other issues when he meets China&#39;s navy commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, from Sunday on a three-day trip to &quot;improve mutual understanding&quot;, according to a US navy statement.

(Reuters)

China said Beijing's rejection of the verdict had the support of Laos, current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN)

A decision invalidating China's vast claims in the South China Sea was a "crowning glory" that renews faith in international law, the Philippines' top lawyer said on Friday, in Manila's strongest comment yet on its sweeping win. The remarks by solicitor general Jose Calida follow two days of carefully calibrated responses from the Philippines and are almost certain to irritate China further. Manila has so far been keen not to rock the boat in the hope of starting dialogue towards Beijing allowing it to exercise what the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled were its sovereign maritime rights. "It confirms that no one state can claim virtually an entire sea. The award is a historic win not only for the Philippines ... it renews humanity's faith in a rules based global order," Calida told a forum on the South China Sea. "The award opens a horizon of possibilities for all stakeholders. The award is a crowning glory of international law." China has refused to recognise Tuesday's ruling and did not take part in its proceedings. It has reacted angrily to calls by Western countries for the decision to be adhered to. China's foreign ministry on Friday said Beijing's position on the case had the support of Laos, the current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc long dogged by discord over how to deal with China's maritime assertiveness. The verdict was discussed on Thursday between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith ahead a regional summit in Mongolia. "Thongloun said that Laos supports China's position, and is willing to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region," the ministry said in a statement. The statement did not elaborate. Laos' foreign ministry has not responded to Reuters' request for comment on the ruling and its state media made no mention of Thongloun's comments to Li. Land-locked Laos, which is boosting economic ties with China, will be hosting a key security meeting later this month at which the South China Sea is expected to dominate. ASEAN has not issued a statement about the ruling and its members have not said why. Cautious Approach China has said it has widespread support for its rejection of the case but many countries have stuck to cautious comments about resolving disputes peacefully and following international laws. China claims much of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte ended his unusual silence at a private function late on Thursday and said he wanted dialogue with China and was considering sending former President Fidel Ramos to Beijing to get the ball rolling. "War is not an option," he said. "So, what is the other side? - Peaceful talk." Immediately after the ruling, the normally brash and outspoken Duterte privately told his ministers to be magnanimous and not to pique Beijing, according to one minister. But the cautious tone appears to be changing in the Philippines, where there are signs of public disgruntlement with the subdued government response to a decision that most of the country was celebrating. The United States, a key Philippines' ally, is urging Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on the court ruling, according to US administration officials. The chief of its naval operations, Admiral John Richardson will discuss the South China Sea among other issues when he meets China's navy commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, from Sunday on a three-day trip to "improve mutual understanding", according to a US navy statement. (Reuters)

Philippines' top lawyer hails South China Sea ruling a 'crowning glory'

About a hundred Filipino activists rallied outside the Chinese Consulate in Manila&#39;s financial district on Tuesday ahead of an international arbitration ruling on the&nbsp;SouthChina&nbsp;Sea.

An arbitration court in The Hague will rule on Tuesday in a dispute about the waterway in which the Philippines is challenging&nbsp;China&#39;s right to exploit resources across vast swathes of the strategic territory.

China&nbsp;has boycotted the hearings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, saying it does not have jurisdiction to decide on the matter.&nbsp;The announcement is expected at 0900GMT.

The Filipinio activists marched towards the consulate on Tuesday morning carrying placards demanding&nbsp;China&nbsp;leave the Philippines&#39; Exclusive Economic Zone.

&quot;We reject in no uncertain terms the nine-dash claims being made by&nbsp;China, and we uphold the provisions stated in the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the&nbsp;Sea. The issue is very clear, that&nbsp;China&nbsp;has to respect the right of the Filipinos, especially on the Exclusive Economic Zone,&quot; said New Patriotic Alliance Secretary General Renato Reyes.

Several fishermen from coastal towns near the&nbsp;South&nbsp;China&nbsp;Sea&nbsp;joined the protest, carrying a boat effigy with the words &quot;Chexit now!&quot; and &quot;Hands off PH!&quot; painted on the side.

&quot;I will return, I will definitely return. In fact, we went there on June 12, but were blocked from entering the shoal. We were shooed away like dogs, so we had no other choice but to turn back. This is my wish and the reason I came here - to listen to the tribunal decision to see if the Panatag (Scarborough) shoal is ours. If it is, then I will be really happy, and so will my fellow fishermen,&quot; said Fred Manzano, a fisherman from the coastal town of Masinloc near the Scarborough Shoal which has seen various encounters with the Chinese coastguard.

The case, brought by the Philippines in 2013, hinges on the legal status of reefs, rocks and artificial islands in the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Island Group.

The&nbsp;South&nbsp;China&nbsp;Sea&nbsp;is one of the world&#39;s vital shipping lanes, through which a total of $5 trillion in trade is carried every year, and the ruling could further ramp up tensions in the region, where China&#39;s increased military assertiveness has spread concern among its smaller neighbours, and is a point of contention&nbsp;with the United States. 
 
(Reuters)

A total of $5 trillion in trade is carried through this shipping lane annually, so tension amid this international arbitration is very high

About a hundred Filipino activists rallied outside the Chinese Consulate in Manila's financial district on Tuesday ahead of an international arbitration ruling on the SouthChina Sea. An arbitration court in The Hague will rule on Tuesday in a dispute about the waterway in which the Philippines is challenging China's right to exploit resources across vast swathes of the strategic territory. China has boycotted the hearings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, saying it does not have jurisdiction to decide on the matter. The announcement is expected at 0900GMT. The Filipinio activists marched towards the consulate on Tuesday morning carrying placards demanding China leave the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. "We reject in no uncertain terms the nine-dash claims being made by China, and we uphold the provisions stated in the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea. The issue is very clear, that China has to respect the right of the Filipinos, especially on the Exclusive Economic Zone," said New Patriotic Alliance Secretary General Renato Reyes. Several fishermen from coastal towns near the South China Sea joined the protest, carrying a boat effigy with the words "Chexit now!" and "Hands off PH!" painted on the side. "I will return, I will definitely return. In fact, we went there on June 12, but were blocked from entering the shoal. We were shooed away like dogs, so we had no other choice but to turn back. This is my wish and the reason I came here - to listen to the tribunal decision to see if the Panatag (Scarborough) shoal is ours. If it is, then I will be really happy, and so will my fellow fishermen," said Fred Manzano, a fisherman from the coastal town of Masinloc near the Scarborough Shoal which has seen various encounters with the Chinese coastguard. The case, brought by the Philippines in 2013, hinges on the legal status of reefs, rocks and artificial islands in the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Island Group. The South China Sea is one of the world's vital shipping lanes, through which a total of $5 trillion in trade is carried every year, and the ruling could further ramp up tensions in the region, where China's increased military assertiveness has spread concern among its smaller neighbours, and is a point of contention with the United States. (Reuters)

Filipino activists rally ahead of South China Sea ruling

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coastguard of sinking a fishing boat near a disputed island chain, authorities said on Tuesday, ahead of key UN-backed ruling on claims in the flashpoint South China Sea. 
 
Two Vietnamese boats were chased by a pair of Chinese coastguard ships on Saturday afternoon off Vietnam&#39;s Quang Ngai province, the Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
One ship was boarded by Chinese coastguards who forced the crew overboard, Vinafis said, while a second vessel was prevented from reaching the stranded fishermen. 
 
&quot;Chinese men jumped onto fisherman Vo Van Luu&#39;s boat, struck the Vietnamese sailors and... sunk the vessel,&quot; forcing five crew members overboard, the statement said. 
 
The five fishermen remained in the sea until dark, when the second Vietnamese vessel was able to approach the area. 
 
Vinafis &quot;condemned&quot; the incident and demanded compensation from China. There was no immediate comment from China on the allegations. 
 
Beijing lays claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbours the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which also have partial claims. 
 
Later on Tuesday the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague is set to rule on the legality of China&#39;s claims to an area of the sea contested by the Philippines.&nbsp;It is a much anticipated court ruling with analysts saying a verdict that goes against Beijing could see a spike in aggressive actions in the area. 
 
Vietnam and China frequently trade diplomatic barbs over the disputed Paracel island chain and waters in the South China Sea.&nbsp;China is encouraging patriotic tourists to visit the contested Paracels, which are known as Xisha in Chinese. 
 
Such acts have deepened already simmering anti-Chinese sentiment in Vietnam.&nbsp;At least three Chinese people were killed in 2014 when rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters. 
 
(AFP)

Chinese coastguards boarded a Vietnamese ship and forced the crew overboard, while a second Chinese boat delayed their rescue

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coastguard of sinking a fishing boat near a disputed island chain, authorities said on Tuesday, ahead of key UN-backed ruling on claims in the flashpoint South China Sea. Two Vietnamese boats were chased by a pair of Chinese coastguard ships on Saturday afternoon off Vietnam's Quang Ngai province, the Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) said in a statement. One ship was boarded by Chinese coastguards who forced the crew overboard, Vinafis said, while a second vessel was prevented from reaching the stranded fishermen. "Chinese men jumped onto fisherman Vo Van Luu's boat, struck the Vietnamese sailors and... sunk the vessel," forcing five crew members overboard, the statement said. The five fishermen remained in the sea until dark, when the second Vietnamese vessel was able to approach the area. Vinafis "condemned" the incident and demanded compensation from China. There was no immediate comment from China on the allegations. Beijing lays claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbours the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which also have partial claims. Later on Tuesday the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague is set to rule on the legality of China's claims to an area of the sea contested by the Philippines. It is a much anticipated court ruling with analysts saying a verdict that goes against Beijing could see a spike in aggressive actions in the area. Vietnam and China frequently trade diplomatic barbs over the disputed Paracel island chain and waters in the South China Sea. China is encouraging patriotic tourists to visit the contested Paracels, which are known as Xisha in Chinese. Such acts have deepened already simmering anti-Chinese sentiment in Vietnam. At least three Chinese people were killed in 2014 when rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters. (AFP)

Vietnam says China 'sank' fishing boat in South China Sea

An international tribunal on Tuesday ruled against China in a bitter row over territorial claims to the South China Sea that is likely to ratchet up regional tensions. 
 
&quot;The tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the &#39;nine-dash line,&#39;&quot; the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) said in a statement. 
 
All eyes were watching for reaction from the Asian political and military powerhouse, which had fired off a barrage of criticism even before the decision by the PCA in The Hague was announced. 
 
China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea -- about 90 per cent of the strategically vital waters -- in the face of rival claims from its South East Asian neighbours. 
 
Manila had lodged the suit against Beijing in 2013, saying that after 17 years of negotiations it had exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues.&nbsp;Beijing waged a months-long campaign to discredit the panel, which it says has no jurisdiction in the multinational dispute, and it refused to take part in the case. 
 
The state-run China Daily topped its front page with a picture of Woody Island in the Paracels, emblazoned: &quot;Arbitration invalid&quot;. 
 
English-language headlines on the official Xinhua news agency included: &quot;South China Sea arbitration abuses international law: Chinese scholar&quot;, &quot;Permanent Court of Arbitration must avoid being used for political purposes&quot; and &quot;The sea where Chinese fishermen live and die&quot;. 
 
Ahead of the decision, new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had signalled he did not want to antagonise China, saying he would not &quot;taunt or flaunt&quot; a favourable ruling and would seek a &quot;soft landing&quot; with China. 
 
Nine-dash line&nbsp; 
 
China&#39;s claims were first enshrined in a map drawn in the 1940s with a nine-dash line stretching south from China and encircling almost all of the sea, although it says Chinese fishermen have been using it for centuries. 
 
To bolster its position it has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. 
 
It has held naval drills between the Paracels and the southern Chinese island of Hainan in recent days. 
 
US naval destroyers have been patrolling near the Chinese-claimed Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands, supported by aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the US-based Navy Times reported. 
 
Chinese state media have said Beijing will not take a &quot;single step back&quot; after the ruling, and President Xi Jinping said earlier this month that China would never compromise on sovereignty, adding: &quot;We are not afraid of trouble&quot;. 
 
China had sought diplomatic support around the world, and foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said its latest backers included Angola, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea, showing that &quot;justice and righteousness always have popular support&quot;. 
 
&quot;Who is upholding the sanctity of international law and who is breaking international law, I think people are all clear about that,&quot; Lu said. 
 
Likely to &#39;escalate the war of words&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Manila lodged its suit against Beijing in 2013, saying China was in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both countries are signatories. 
 
One of the key issues was whether the land features in the area are islands capable of supporting human habitation - which under UNCLOS are entitled to territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone - or rocks, which only have territorial waters, or low-tide elevations, which get neither. 
 
If none of the outcrops are islands, then none of the claimants to them would gain sole rights to major expanses of the waters around them. 
 
&quot;The ruling can reduce the scope of the South China Sea disputes, but will not solve them,&quot; said analysts Yanmei Xie and Tim Johnston of the International Crisis Group in a report. 
 
The ruling was likely to &quot;escalate the war of words&quot;, they said, but added: &quot;Escalation to military standoffs is not inevitable&quot;. 
 
China could choose to withdraw from UNCLOS, or begin building on Scarborough Shoal, which Washington would view as a provocation. 
 
Beijing could also declare an air defence identification zone over the South China Sea, claiming the right to interrogate aircraft passing through the airspace, or try to remove a ship grounded by the Philippines on Second Thomas Shoal for use as a base. 
 
Alternatively, it could move to reduce tensions. 
 
Philippine foreign minister Perfecto Yasay had said on Friday that Manila hoped to open direct talks with Beijing on the dispute, and presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Tuesday: &quot;The top priority will be national interest.&quot; 
 
The Philippine embassy in China has warned its citizens to beware of personal &quot;threats&quot; and avoid political debates. 
 
Nationalist demonstrations are not rare in China, sometimes apparently with the tacit backing of authorities. 
 
More than 20 Chinese police were positioned outside the Philippine embassy on Tuesday, with more in vans nearby - a significantly larger presence than usual - along with two lorries loaded with crowd control barriers, a possible indication that authorities expected protests at the building. 
 
Official response from China 
 
China rejected an international ruling on the South China Sea on Tuesday, saying its islands had exclusive economic zones and the Chinese people have more than 2,000 years of history of activities there. 
 
China has sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea, including the Spratlys and Paracels, and China&#39;s position is consistent with international law and practice, China&#39;s Foreign Ministry added. 
 
(AFP and Reuters)

China claims 90% of the sea. The Philippines took it to court in 2013, saying that after 17 years it had exhausted all other options

An international tribunal on Tuesday ruled against China in a bitter row over territorial claims to the South China Sea that is likely to ratchet up regional tensions. "The tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the 'nine-dash line,'" the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) said in a statement. All eyes were watching for reaction from the Asian political and military powerhouse, which had fired off a barrage of criticism even before the decision by the PCA in The Hague was announced. China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea -- about 90 per cent of the strategically vital waters -- in the face of rival claims from its South East Asian neighbours. Manila had lodged the suit against Beijing in 2013, saying that after 17 years of negotiations it had exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues. Beijing waged a months-long campaign to discredit the panel, which it says has no jurisdiction in the multinational dispute, and it refused to take part in the case. The state-run China Daily topped its front page with a picture of Woody Island in the Paracels, emblazoned: "Arbitration invalid". English-language headlines on the official Xinhua news agency included: "South China Sea arbitration abuses international law: Chinese scholar", "Permanent Court of Arbitration must avoid being used for political purposes" and "The sea where Chinese fishermen live and die". Ahead of the decision, new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had signalled he did not want to antagonise China, saying he would not "taunt or flaunt" a favourable ruling and would seek a "soft landing" with China. Nine-dash line China's claims were first enshrined in a map drawn in the 1940s with a nine-dash line stretching south from China and encircling almost all of the sea, although it says Chinese fishermen have been using it for centuries. To bolster its position it has rapidly turned reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. It has held naval drills between the Paracels and the southern Chinese island of Hainan in recent days. US naval destroyers have been patrolling near the Chinese-claimed Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands, supported by aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the US-based Navy Times reported. Chinese state media have said Beijing will not take a "single step back" after the ruling, and President Xi Jinping said earlier this month that China would never compromise on sovereignty, adding: "We are not afraid of trouble". China had sought diplomatic support around the world, and foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said its latest backers included Angola, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea, showing that "justice and righteousness always have popular support". "Who is upholding the sanctity of international law and who is breaking international law, I think people are all clear about that," Lu said. Likely to 'escalate the war of words' Manila lodged its suit against Beijing in 2013, saying China was in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both countries are signatories. One of the key issues was whether the land features in the area are islands capable of supporting human habitation - which under UNCLOS are entitled to territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone - or rocks, which only have territorial waters, or low-tide elevations, which get neither. If none of the outcrops are islands, then none of the claimants to them would gain sole rights to major expanses of the waters around them. "The ruling can reduce the scope of the South China Sea disputes, but will not solve them," said analysts Yanmei Xie and Tim Johnston of the International Crisis Group in a report. The ruling was likely to "escalate the war of words", they said, but added: "Escalation to military standoffs is not inevitable". China could choose to withdraw from UNCLOS, or begin building on Scarborough Shoal, which Washington would view as a provocation. Beijing could also declare an air defence identification zone over the South China Sea, claiming the right to interrogate aircraft passing through the airspace, or try to remove a ship grounded by the Philippines on Second Thomas Shoal for use as a base. Alternatively, it could move to reduce tensions. Philippine foreign minister Perfecto Yasay had said on Friday that Manila hoped to open direct talks with Beijing on the dispute, and presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Tuesday: "The top priority will be national interest." The Philippine embassy in China has warned its citizens to beware of personal "threats" and avoid political debates. Nationalist demonstrations are not rare in China, sometimes apparently with the tacit backing of authorities. More than 20 Chinese police were positioned outside the Philippine embassy on Tuesday, with more in vans nearby - a significantly larger presence than usual - along with two lorries loaded with crowd control barriers, a possible indication that authorities expected protests at the building. Official response from China China rejected an international ruling on the South China Sea on Tuesday, saying its islands had exclusive economic zones and the Chinese people have more than 2,000 years of history of activities there. China has sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea, including the Spratlys and Paracels, and China's position is consistent with international law and practice, China's Foreign Ministry added. (AFP and Reuters)

South China Sea dispute: Hague rules against China

A little-known international tribunal will early next month step into a bitter dispute over the South China Sea, handing down a ruling which risks further inflaming tensions between Southeast Asian nations and China. 
 
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) , the world&#39;s oldest international tribunal for the peaceful resolution of disputes between nations, said on Wednesday that it will rule on July 12 in the highly-watched case brought by the Philippines challenging China&#39;s claims to much of the strategic waterway. 
 
Manila lodged the suit against Beijing in early 2013, saying that after 17 years of negotiations it had exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues to settle the dispute.&nbsp; 
 
But Beijing, angered by Manila&#39;s move, has refused to participate in any hearings, and said it will not comply with any decisions by the tribunal based in The Hague. 
 
The court, which was set up in 1899, said in a statement Wednesday that it had informed the parties it would issue its ruling at about 11 am (0900 GMT) on July 12. 
 
The written decision will first be emailed to the parties, and then released to the press and uploaded onto the PCA&#39;s website. 
 
Tensions in the South China Sea have also alarmed other nations, notably the United States, which has key defence treaties with many allies in the region, and in a show of strength has sent warships close to some of the Chinese claimed reefs. 
 
Spanning more than three years, two hearings and nearly 4,000 pages of evidence, the arbitration case in The Hague is extremely complex, and has already drawn anger in Beijing.&nbsp; 
 
In essence, the world economic and military power claims most of the sea, even waters approaching neighbouring countries, based on a vaguely defined &quot;nine-dash&quot; Chinese map dating back to the 1940s. 
 
The Philippines disputes this and while it has stressed that it is not asking the court to rule on sovereignty or to delimit any boundaries it has asked the tribunal to rule on other key points. 
 
Basing its arguments on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Manila contends that the &quot;nine-dash&quot; line has no basis under international law and Beijing has no &quot;historic&quot; claim to the ocean. 
 
Manila has further argued that Beijing violated the UN convention by preventing it from exercising its fishing and exploration rights and that Chinese fishing boats have irreversibly damaged coral reefs. 
 
The Philippine government further says that some of the &quot;islands&quot; that Beijing claims as Chinese territory are rocks and not entitled to an exclusive economic zone. 
 
&quot;China will be obliged under international law to comply with the decision, and with all its obligations under the law of the sea as clarified by the arbitral tribunal. 
 
But being bound by the decision says nothing about means of enforcing it,&quot; Joris Larik, a senior researcher with the think-tank The Hague Institute for Global Justice, told AFP. 
 
He said any ruling &quot;in favour of the Philippines on any of the points it raises would be a blow to China&#39;s expansive nine dash line claims.&quot; 
But Larik acknowledged that &quot;enforcement is the Achilles Heel of public international law. 
 
The PCA is an extreme example of that. &quot;Tensions have been growing for years in the South China Sea, as Beijing has sought to expand its presence in what is a main maritime link between the Pacific and Indian oceans. 
 
Its shipping lanes connect East Asia with Europe and the Middle East, and over $5 trillion (4.5 trillion euros) in ship-borne trade passes through the sea annually. 
 
Major unexploited oil and gas deposits are also believed to lie under the seabed. 
 
China has conducted massive dredging and artificial island-building activities in the Spratlys, dwarfing the scale of reclamation work of other claimants.&nbsp; 
 
In April, the United States launched joint South China Sea patrols with its key ally Manila and has consistently called for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. 
 
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the strategic waterway. 
 
And last week Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the remote Indonesian Natuna islands on a warship in an apparent show of force after clashes with Chinese vessels. 
 
(AFP)

Spanning more than three years, two hearings and nearly 4,000 pages of evidence, the arbitration case has drawn anger in Beijing

A little-known international tribunal will early next month step into a bitter dispute over the South China Sea, handing down a ruling which risks further inflaming tensions between Southeast Asian nations and China. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) , the world's oldest international tribunal for the peaceful resolution of disputes between nations, said on Wednesday that it will rule on July 12 in the highly-watched case brought by the Philippines challenging China's claims to much of the strategic waterway. Manila lodged the suit against Beijing in early 2013, saying that after 17 years of negotiations it had exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues to settle the dispute. But Beijing, angered by Manila's move, has refused to participate in any hearings, and said it will not comply with any decisions by the tribunal based in The Hague. The court, which was set up in 1899, said in a statement Wednesday that it had informed the parties it would issue its ruling at about 11 am (0900 GMT) on July 12. The written decision will first be emailed to the parties, and then released to the press and uploaded onto the PCA's website. Tensions in the South China Sea have also alarmed other nations, notably the United States, which has key defence treaties with many allies in the region, and in a show of strength has sent warships close to some of the Chinese claimed reefs. Spanning more than three years, two hearings and nearly 4,000 pages of evidence, the arbitration case in The Hague is extremely complex, and has already drawn anger in Beijing. In essence, the world economic and military power claims most of the sea, even waters approaching neighbouring countries, based on a vaguely defined "nine-dash" Chinese map dating back to the 1940s. The Philippines disputes this and while it has stressed that it is not asking the court to rule on sovereignty or to delimit any boundaries it has asked the tribunal to rule on other key points. Basing its arguments on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Manila contends that the "nine-dash" line has no basis under international law and Beijing has no "historic" claim to the ocean. Manila has further argued that Beijing violated the UN convention by preventing it from exercising its fishing and exploration rights and that Chinese fishing boats have irreversibly damaged coral reefs. The Philippine government further says that some of the "islands" that Beijing claims as Chinese territory are rocks and not entitled to an exclusive economic zone. "China will be obliged under international law to comply with the decision, and with all its obligations under the law of the sea as clarified by the arbitral tribunal. But being bound by the decision says nothing about means of enforcing it," Joris Larik, a senior researcher with the think-tank The Hague Institute for Global Justice, told AFP. He said any ruling "in favour of the Philippines on any of the points it raises would be a blow to China's expansive nine dash line claims." But Larik acknowledged that "enforcement is the Achilles Heel of public international law. The PCA is an extreme example of that. "Tensions have been growing for years in the South China Sea, as Beijing has sought to expand its presence in what is a main maritime link between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Its shipping lanes connect East Asia with Europe and the Middle East, and over $5 trillion (4.5 trillion euros) in ship-borne trade passes through the sea annually. Major unexploited oil and gas deposits are also believed to lie under the seabed. China has conducted massive dredging and artificial island-building activities in the Spratlys, dwarfing the scale of reclamation work of other claimants. In April, the United States launched joint South China Sea patrols with its key ally Manila and has consistently called for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the strategic waterway. And last week Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the remote Indonesian Natuna islands on a warship in an apparent show of force after clashes with Chinese vessels. (AFP)

Hague court to pass a ruling on July 12 in South China sea case

the-hague

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Hague court to pass a ruling on July 12 in South China sea case