Judges at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague on Tuesday rejected China’s claims to economic rights across large swathes of the South China Sea in a ruling that will be claimed as a victory by the Philippines.
“There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’,” the court said, referring to a demarcation line on a 1947 map of the sea, which is rich in energy, mineral and fishing resources.
In the 497-page ruling, judges also found that Chinese law enforcement patrols had risked colliding with Philippine fishing vessels in parts of the sea and caused irreparable damage to coral reefs with construction work.
China Refutes Tribunal Decision
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, when asked how China would be getting the ruling, said it would have nothing to do with the court.
“We won’t accept any of their so-called materials, no matter what they are,” Lu told reporters.
No matter what kind of ruling is to be made, Chinese armed forces will firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and maritime interests and rights, firmly uphold regional peace and stability, and deal with all kinds of threats and challenges.Chinese Defence Ministry
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said the “law-abusing tribunal” had issued an “ill-founded award”. In a dispatch from Manila, it said the award was made “amid a global chorus that, as the panel has no jurisdiction, its decision is naturally null and void”.
The Philippines welcomed a ruling by a UN-backed tribunal today that declares China has no “historic rights” in the South China Sea, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said, as he urged restraint.
The Philippines strongly affirms its respect for this milestone decision as an important contribution to ongoing efforts in addressing disputes in the South China Sea.Perfecto Yasay, Foreign Secretary of Philippines
China Releases White Paper Notice
China released a white paper against the verdict, insisting that Beijing has had claims over the strategic region for 2,000 years.
The document is titled China Adheres to the Position of Settling Through Negotiation the Relevant Disputes Between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
The white paper asserts that the Philippines, which had filed the petition, was occupying the age-old Chinese territory.
The core of the relevant disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea lies in the territorial issues caused by the Philippines’ invasion and illegal occupation by force, starting in the 1970s, of some islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Qundao (the Nansha Islands), it said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)