A five-member tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague today rejected China’s claims to economic rights across large swathes of the South China Sea. The ruling will be claimed as a victory by the Philippines.
In the 497-page ruling, judges also said that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line, referring to a demarcation line on a 1947 map of the sea, which is rich in energy, mineral and fishing resources.
Hours ahead of the international tribunal’s verdict, Beijing said it will not recognise the decision. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing will not accept the arbitration nor will it receive copies of the judgement.
China has boycotted the tribunal ever since Philippines filed the petition in The Hague international court. China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea but its claim is firmly contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan which have overlapping claims over the area.