Wow, I actually didn't expect them to rule against China..... very interesting indeed!
Jul 12, 9:16 AM EDT
TRIBUNAL: NO BASIS FOR CHINA'S VAST SOUTH CHINA SEA CLAIMS
BY MIKE CORDER AND JIM GOMEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- A tribunal ruled in a sweeping decision Tuesday that China has no legal basis for its vast claims in the South China Sea and had aggravated the seething regional dispute with its extensive construction of artificial islands that destroyed coral reefs and infringed on the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
China immediately rejected the arbitration findings, and their impact remained unclear as there is no policing agency or mechanism to enforce them.
It also gives heart to small countries in Asia that have helplessly chafed at China's expansionism, backed by its military and economic power.
"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," Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said in Manila, calling on "all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety."
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who helped oversee the filing of the case, said the ruling underscored "our collective belief that right is might and that international law is the great equalizer among states."
Del Rosario stressed that it was important for the ruling to be accepted by all.
"For the sake of maintaining international order, it is imperative that the Award and clarification of maritime entitlements be accepted by all relevant countries - without exception - so that we can work together on how remaining issues can be peacefully resolved," he said.
China and the Philippines are among six governments that have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, waters through which an estimated $5 trillion in global trade passes through each year and which have rich fishing stocks and a potential wealth of oil, gas and other resources.
The disputes have also increased friction between China and the United States, which has ramped up its military presence in the region as China has expanded its navy's reach farther offshore.
The Philippines, under a U.N. treaty governing the seas, asked in 2013 for arbitration on a number of issues it had with China.
The five-member panel from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, unanimously concluded that China had violated its obligations to refrain from aggravating the dispute while the settlement process was ongoing.
It also found that China had interfered with Philippine petroleum exploration at Reed Bank, tried to stop fishing by Philippine vessels within the country's exclusive economic zone and failed to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone at Mischief Reef and Second Thomas Shoal.
China, which boycotted the entire proceedings, reiterated that it does not accept the panel's jurisdiction. China "solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it," a statement from the foreign ministry said.
It added that "China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea shall under no circumstances be affected by those awards." The ministry repeated China's often-expressed stance that the Philippines' move to initiate arbitration without China's consent was in "bad faith" and in violation of international law.
A professor of Asian political economy said the ruling could be a "transformative moment" in the region.
Speaking outside the Peace Palace in The Hague, Leiden University professor Jonathan London said the decision will "give countries with a common interest in international norms something to point to and to rally around."
He said they can say to China: "Look, here are the results of an international organization that has found that your claims have zero historical basis."
cont:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...07-12-06-24-07
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